


The Thin Line Between Life and Death

by CeceAsh



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Other, Paranormal AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2018-08-18 20:54:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 66,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8175830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeceAsh/pseuds/CeceAsh
Summary: Psychic!Laura/Ghost!Carmilla.While investigating an abandoned mansion in the woods, Laura comes across a spirit that reveals much more concerning information than she was expecting. Wanting to help the trapped spirits, Laura, LaFontaine, Kirsch, and a reluctant Perry's research leads them to new discoveries, both unexpected and terrifying. None of them would have guessed that they would be dealing with something far beyond their experience, and Laura sure as Hell didn't expect to fall in love along the way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this concept in my head for years, but I only seriously started writing on it a few months ago and waited until now to start posting because it's an October-ish kind of fic. I hope you all like this chapter enough to continue through to the end.

_**“The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?”** **-Edgar Allan Poe** _

 

“I don’t think this is a very good idea, you two.” Perry said, pulling her cardigan closer to her body as she watched her two friends.

“I told you that you didn’t have to come, Per.” LaFontaine replied.

“And then who would be here to make sure both of you came out of there alive?”

“Don’t be so overly dramatic.” Laura piped up. “Besides, you came with us this morning to check it out, the building isn’t in  _ that _ bad of shape. We’ll be fine.”

“Famous last words…” Perry muttered, shaking her head.

“Well if I die, at least you’ll have a friend on the Other Side, and I’ll help you get some evidence!”

LaFontaine smiled. “Always looking on the bright side, L.”

“Just speaking like a true paranormal investigator.” She beamed.

Perry rolled her eyes. “Or a true imbecile.”

“Seriously Per, if you don’t want to be a part of this, I’m sure Kirsch could come and pick you up.”

The redhead put her hands up in surrender. “No, no. I want to keep my eye on you two.”

Laura knew Perry would probably be a distraction tonight, but she had to admit that it was nice that someone was looking out for them. She acknowledged that her and LaF could get carried away at times, and they needed an relatively unbiased person to keep them grounded.

“Okay, everything is fully charged?” Laura turned her attention away from Perry and to the cases in the back of the car.

She already knew the answer, LaFontaine was always on top of all the tech things, but it never hurt to make absolutely sure.

“Yep!” They confirmed. “Everything is ready to go whenever.”

“Great. Now, how do you want to do this?”

“Well, we all went in together earlier today and nothing really happened. That could either be because it was day time so they were less active, or it could have been because having three people there was intimidating…”

“Okay, so go in one at a time.”

LaF nodded. “I’m thinking that’s our best chance.”

“But there are safety in numbers.” Perry reminded them.

“We have walkies. If we need help, we’ll call for it.” Laura said taking a walkie for herself, trying to convince the worried woman, before she addressed LaF again. “So, you want to go first, or should I?”

“I’ll go first with the EMF detector, see if I get different results from my baseline sweep that I conducted earlier. Then maybe do an EVP session if I get any unusual spikes.”

“Cool. Radio us if you need anything.”

“Will do.” They agreed, then took a walkie from the back of the car and clipped it to their jeans pocket. “And keep an eye on the windows. Some have witnessed blue and white orbs of light.”

Laura nodded, rounding the side of the car and leaning against door to the driver’s side.

“Please just be careful, sweetie.” Perry added, her face scrunched up in concern.

“This isn’t like one of my lab experiments where I accidentally blow something up and burn my eyebrows off. I’ll be fine.” LaF joked as they grabbed the EMF detector, a digital recorder, and a flashlight before stopping to kiss Perry on the cheek, then heading into the old mansion.

LaFontaine waded through the thick grass and disappeared into the dark shadows of the building where Laura and Perry could not see them anymore.

“I’m already anxious.” Perry said, trying to rub the night chill from her arms.

“You’re  _ always _ anxious.” Laura pointed out as she turned on her walkie and fixed her gaze towards the windows.

Perry huffed and moved to sit on the hood of the car. It would definitely be a long night for her.

“The building isn’t condemned or anything.” Laura started a few minutes later, still seeing stiffness in the redhead’s body. “LaF will be fine.”

She was hoping that sounding confident would in turn make her worried friend slightly more comfortable with the idea of her fiancé being in the abandoned building all alone. Truly, these old mansions were built to last. It was in very good shape considering its age, and their main concern would most likely be rodents. Yuck. Those scared her more than spirits. Not that spirits were particularly scary, but she really couldn’t deal with dirty, scavengerous creatures and their beady little eyes. She shivered with disgust before walking over and joining Perry on the hood of the car, leaning back against the windshield as she continued to watch the windows. It was quiet outside, save for the crickets chirping. Investigating out in the countryside was always her favorite. It was about as contained environment as you can get, which meant very little contamination due to other sources, particularly people. It was a stark contrast from attempting to investigate in the city, where it never seemed to get fully quiet, which made it impossible to tell most of the time what sounds were paranormal and what was just drunk idiots out in the street. Here, there were no people around for miles. It was peaceful. She continued to enjoy her surroundings and laid back against the windshield as she kept her eyes on the windows. Thirty minutes later, static came through the walkie talkie before LaF spoke.

“ _ Hey, guys, I’m not really getting too much. Just a few random spikes here and there, but nothing on command. I’m gonna go ahead and come back _ .”

“Copy that. See you in a few.” Laura replied, then sat up and put a hand on Perry’s shoulder. “See, they’re fine.”

“Don’t count your eggs before they’ve hatched...”

The blonde resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but since the woman hadn’t had a panic attack yet, she would take this as a victory. And just a few minutes later, LaF stepped back outside and made their way over to the car. Perry instantly pulled them into her arms and hugged them tightly, to which Laura couldn’t help but think was cute, albeit unnecessary.

“Alright, alright.” LaF said, playfully pulling away from their fiancé’s grip, then turned to Laura. “Wanna review the audio I took, or do you wanna just go in now?”

“Let’s review. If you got anything, I can ask about it when I go in and maybe that will get more of a response.” She answered, then turned back to Perry. “Keep an eye on the windows while we do this, will ya?”

Without waiting for a response, Laura followed LaF, who went to the back of the car where the trunk was still ajar, and opened the laptop and connected the digital recorder to it, importing the files. Laura pulled out two pairs of earbuds and plugged them in. LaF had only recorded audio for about fifteen of the thirty minutes that they were in the building, when there was EMF spikes happening on the K2 Meter. The two listened to the recording with trained ears, but still, no strange noises or voices had come through. It was disappointing, but it was only the beginning of the investigation after all. It was usually pretty dead, no pun intended, until the spirits got a bit more comfortable with their presence. She couldn’t blame them really, if she were a ghost, she’d want to see what strangers were doing before deciding to communicate.

“I think I may have seen something.” Perry said coming over to them, warily.

“In the windows? Where?” LaF asked excitedly, eyes quickly scanning the mansion.

“Second floor, farthest window on the right. My eyes could have been playing tricks on me since I was looking for something, but I swear I saw a faint glow for a second or two.”

“That’s great!” Laura exclaimed, taking the earbuds out of her ears and unplugging the digital recorder from the laptop, pocketing it in her hoodie. “I’ll go check it out.”

“Wanna take the night vision camera with you?” LaF asked. “Maybe we can get this light on film. And it will help you navigate in the dark better without having to use your flashlight.”

“Yeah, good idea.” Laura replied, closing the laptop and putting it to the side before opening a hard black container and pulling the night vision camera out.

Laura then picked up her walkie talkie and clipped it to the back pocket of her jeans, felt in her front jeans pocket for the tiny flashlight to make sure it was still there, and then looked at her watch. Almost midnight. She agreed to check in at thirty after, then headed towards the mansion.

“Good luck!” She heard LaF call as she approached the front door.

It was open and hung slightly cockeyed on its rusty hinges, really only adding to the creep factor. Once she stepped inside, she was engulfed by darkness, the only light coming through the doorway was from the moon. Since there were a bunch of items that were piled up in the main hallway, she turned on the night vision camera and entered the doorway on her right, which lead into a parlor room. They’d come and checked this place out during the day, but she was still amazed at how preserved everything was. She’s done all kinds of investigations before, but this was her first time at what used to be a private residence. They’ve done abandoned stores, hospitals, hotels, even a university once, but never one where it was a place someone had called home. It was exciting to do something new, but as she walked in, she felt as if she were trespassing. Technically they were anyway, but that’s not the point. No matter how old and run down it may be, she still felt as if the space was lived in. That was good for them though, it was a chance to get some evidence. The smell was musty, and dust she kicked up swirled around her and in front of the camera. She wondered how long it’s been since the last living person resided here, and why someone hadn’t taken it over too keep it in good condition. It’s a shame that some of the most beautiful places are left to rot.

From what she could tell, everything seemed to be original. From the red and gold wallpaper that was dirty and peeling, to the hardwood floors that creaked under her weight, and gross as hell rugs and pieces of furniture that unfortunately had holes in them from some kind of animal in need of a chew toy. Walking forward, she made her way through the room and out another side to a doorway, which led into another hall. From there, she could either keep go right towards the dining room and kitchen, or left, towards the staircase and beyond that an office and library. Laura always liked to get a good feel for the place she was investigating, so she preferred to find the middle of the building and sit quietly. In this home, she figured that the staircase was pretty spot on with being the center focus of the mansion, so she turned left and slowly made her way down the hall, floorboards groaning as she did so. She passed a couple closets on her way, so she took a little peek in each one before continuing. Nothing but old winter wear and thick blankets caked with dust and spider webs that smelled like mothballs. When she came upon the once grand staircase, she carefully ascended to the landing between the two floors and sat down with her back to the wall. The peeling wallpaper was so brittle at this point that it snapped under her weight and fell to the floor in little pieces.

Setting her night vision camera beside her to shoot down the stairs, she shifted forward and reached around her back to wipe the debris off her hoodie, then pulled her small flashlight out of her pocket just in case she needed it. It was then that she crossed her legs and closed her eyes, starting taking in deep breaths, focusing on her surroundings. Slowly she let her mind go blank and began to probe the environment with what she jokingly called her “feelers”. Not much was going on on the first floor. She felt a couple energies of people in her immediate vicinity, but before she attempted to pursue those, she wanted to get a reading on the second floor. Instantly she knew it was more populated, but still, no one was close enough to her to get any information on, other than getting the feeling that whoever was here may be weary of her. She didn’t try to get a feel for the third floor, it being a bit too far away for her mental reach at the moment. Besides, any spirits that wanted to talk could come to her. So it was then that she decided to call out, hoping to encourage anyone to come closer and speak with her. Taking the small, silver device out of her pocket, she turned it on and started to record, setting it down on her knee.

“Whoever is here, you don’t have to be afraid of me.” She said in a little louder tone than normal, so anyone who was fairly close to her could hopefully hear. “My name is Laura, and I’m a Sensitive...so if you’d like to talk, I’ll be able to hear you.”

Her voice echoed slightly before everything was quiet again. She heard what sounded like a faint click down the hall above her, but she wasn’t sure what it was. It could have been one of the spirits doing something to get her attention, or it could just the the product of an old mansion settling. She listened for a few more seconds before continuing.

“I know there may have been some people that have come here in the past, only looking to get you to do things for them, to prove that you exist, but that’s not why we’re here. We already know you exist. We already know that you are here. But we want to know  _ why _ and if you want help.”

Suddenly Laura felt a presence join her, standing at the bottom of the stairwell. She started to focus mentally on that person, and in her mind’s eye, could see a shadowy silhouette of a child’s form, who appeared to be holding onto the banister, halfway hiding behind it.

“Hello. I can feel someone’s here with me.” She said softer. “Can you tell me your name?”

But the child said nothing. Again, she tried to find out more information by probing the energy with hers. The more she solely focused on the figure, the more clear the image became. First his dark brown hair, in a sloppy bowl cut. Then the dark, blurry body brightened and cleared, revealing tattered old-fashioned clothes. A thin, off-white shirt underneath a pair of grubby brown overalls. And finally a face. It was a young boy. He had large eyes, the color of which matched his hair, and chubby cheeks that sported a few freckles on his pale skin. As if he realized that she could see him, he hid more behind the banister, only now just peeking his eyes over it.

“I know there is a young boy down the stairs.” Laura said, speaking even softer than before, not wanting to scare the boy away. “You don’t have to hide. I’m not here to hurt you. I would just like to talk.”

“ _ Can you really hear me _ ?” He replied in a thin, hesitant voice.

Laura opened her eyes, seeing nothing but darkness. Even though she had asked for it, it always surprised her hearing a voice other than hers break the silence. Collecting herself, she closed her eyes again and tried to communicate once more.

“Yes, I can hear you. What’s your name?”

There were a few moments of silence from the boy before he answered, obviously still not completely trusting her. Not that Laura could blame him, she was a total stranger after all.

“ _ Joseph _ .”

“It’s good to meet you, Joseph.” She smiled. “Is it alright if I ask you a few questions?”

She could see him bite his bottom lip before shrugging. He was still shy, but now he at least wasn’t hiding completely behind the bannister anymore.

“It isn’t often that you can actually talk to the people that come here, is it?”

He shook his head.

The mansion was pretty secluded and hidden by lush forests, so most people driving by would definitely miss it. But the mansion was well known in the surrounding towns. It wasn’t unusual for dumb teenagers to come find it and try provoke the spirits here to get a cheap thrill, or even hold mock investigations. Laura could imagine how annoying that would be.

“Have you ever talked to someone like me before?”

“ _ No _ .”

“Then I’m sure this is kind of odd, huh?” She asked herself more than him. “How old are you?”

“ _ Twelve _ .”

The real question is, how long has he been twelve?

“Do you know how long you’ve been here?”

He thought for a moment before shaking his head, frown on his face.

“Do you remember what year it was for you?”

She left out the ‘when you died’ part, not wanting to upset such a young kid.

“ _ I...don’t remember _ .”

Laura nodded. “That’s okay.”

It had to have been a while ago, considering the style of his clothes.

“How come you’re still here?”

His frown deepened, wrinkles forming on his forehead, and he looked away from her then. She could feel that he wanted to tell or ask her something, but for whatever reason he was holding back.

“I can help you, if you need it.” She prompted.

“ _ No one can help us. _ ” He replied in a low, sad voice a few moments later.

Laura was a bit struck by that response. She hadn’t ever encountered such a hopeless sounding child in all her time of doing investigations.

“Why do you say that?”

She waited a minute, but there was no response from the boy. He just slinked back behind the bannister and disappeared from sight. Laura sighed heavily to herself. Spirits could be very frustrating. Most of the time they would only give her small pieces of information, never the entire story. She didn’t know why, or if it was really on purpose or not, because if they just cooperated, it would make things go a lot easier.

“Okay. If you don’t want to talk anymore, I’m not going to try and make you.” She said to the boy, wherever he was now, then directed her next question to the other energies that were in the mansion, raising her voice again to they could hear. “If anyone else would like to say something, anything, I’m here to listen.”

“ _ You should go. She’ll be back soon _ .” A female voice said.

Laura resisted the urge to jump, having been startled. She had been expecting a least a few moments of silence before, or if she got another answer, but this one had come as soon as she finished her sentence. After collecting herself, she looked up to the second floor landing. In her mind’s eye, the silhouette of a girl stood there, out in the open, certainly more bold than the boy. Laura took a few deep breaths to calm herself back down enough to now try to focus in on the girl. She saw her silhouette gradually brighten, and the first thing she saw was her light pink dress, that was smudged with something dark. Then her blonde braids. And her ocean blue eyes, thin nose, and pink lips.

“Who will be back soon?”

There was a few moments of silence between them, but she swore she heard someone whispering farther down the hall upstairs.

“ _ Maman _ .” The girl finally said, ominously.

Laura knew Maman was the French word for “Mom”. Normally she would be happy that at least these children weren’t alone, but the way the girl had said it, and taking into account how the boy had said that no one could help them, she couldn’t help but have a bad feeling about this “Maman”.

“ _ She doesn’t like visitors _ .” The girl continued.

Against her better judgement, Laura asked a question she’s not sure she actually wanted the answer to.

“And what will happen if I’m still here when she shows up?”

The few seconds in between her question and the girl’s response felt like an eternity.

“ _ Bad things _ .”

If the girl’s tone of voice hadn’t given away the fact that she was afraid of this “Maman”, her facial expression would have. Her frown coupled with the obvious worry in her eyes was enough to alert Laura that it genuinely wasn’t a good idea to be around when the woman showed up. But she also has a conscious. She can’t just leave these children here. She needed more answers. The more information she had, the more she’ll be able to assess the situation and help.

“Does she hurt you?”

Just then, a door slammed, making Laura nearly jump out of her hyde. Opening her eyes, she placed a hand over her heart and took a few deep breaths. She got the feeling that subject was a touchy one for some in the mansion, knowing the girl nor the boy downstairs had done it.

“ _ Get out _ !” A new voice called out from down the hall upstairs where she’d heard the click earlier.

Whoever it was sounded a little older than the two children. Like a newly teenage boy. Fourteen, maybe. If Laura hadn’t already been concerned about the children’s situation, she probably would have laughed from the stereotypical spirit demand. A few heavy footsteps followed after that, but faded quickly.

“How many of you are here?”

The girl seemed to pause for a moment, then she answered. “ _ Fifty-three _ .”

Fifty-three?!

“Wow. That’s a lot of spirits for one location.” Laura muttered to herself.

The mansion was big, but still, not big enough to comfortably house that many people at once...

“ _ The asylum has more _ .”

The asylum? Laura would definitely have to do some research later.

“ _ She’s coming _ !” The teenage boy’s voice yelled again. “ _ Leave now _ !”

With her eyes still open, Laura eyed the hallway a floor above her, but not surprisingly she didn’t see the person whose voice shouted the warning. Her heartbeat increased and she felt the energy of the girl at the top of the stairs disappear. Where she went, Laura had no clue, but something in the air changed then. All she felt was dread. Like a darkness was slowly covering her like a blanket and it was getting harder to breathe. Another door slammed upstairs. Then another. And another. And another. Each one getting closer to her. She grabbed the digital recorder off of her knee, picked up the night vision camera, and stood up as fast as she could before taking the stairs two at a time down to the first floor. It was a miracle that she didn’t fall and break her neck, not bothering to look through the camera to see where she was going. At the bottom of the stairs she fumbled to put the digital recorder away, still recording, and turn on her flashlight to guide her the rest of the way to the front door. She was breathing heavily when she finally exited the mansion, but that didn’t stop her. She continued her fast stride back over to the car, where LaF and Perry were sitting on it, talking to one another quietly.

“Whoa, L, what happened?” LaFontaine said to her as she made it to them.

She must look freaked out.

“I think that’s enough for tonight.” Laura said attempting to keep her voice casual, but failing completely. “We should go.”

“Finally, someone is talking some sense!” Perry exclaimed, before sliding off of the hood and getting into the front passenger seat.

“Whoa, what the hell?” They asked, confused. “We just got here.”

Laura took the digital recorder out of her pocket and finally shut it off, along with her flashlight, then opened the backseat door, nearly throwing the night vision camera into the next seat. “We can come back another time, but right now we should go.”

She gave LaF the look that told them that she was being serious, no longer trying to hide how scared she was, and they complied, nodding before going around the back of the car to close some of the cases and shut the trunk before getting into the driver’s seat.

“Did you rile up something bad?” They asked as they turned around in the driveway that was barely visible through the thick, overgrown brush, and got back onto the main road, heading towards their house in town.

“Not really. I just...can we talk about this later? I still need to catch my breath.”

LaF met her eyes in the mirror. “Yeah, no problem. You alright though?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

They seemed to accept that as an answer for the time being, and Laura was grateful. She couldn’t take being bombarded with a million questions at the moment. Her mind was too jumbled to relay everything, and she needed a second to collect herself. As she gazed out the window and watched the silhouettes of the trees fly by, she wondered what would have happened if she had stayed. Someone had to tell those kids that they didn’t have to stay Earthbound, and she wouldn’t have a clear conscious if she didn’t go back and try to help them. But that would have to wait for another night. She let out a relieved sigh as they got back to town and pulled up to their house. All the lights were off, so they did their best to be quiet as they hauled the equipment in, lugging everything back into the downstairs office before Laura said they should talk in the morning after a good night’s sleep. She parted ways with LaF and Perry, who went to their bedroom down the hall, and she made her way upstairs to her own. However, with so many questions on her mind, a good night’s sleep eluded her.


	2. Chapter 2

“Aw, man, why did you guys go without me?” Kirsch whined as he plopped into his computer chair.

“No offense, Big Guy, but you’re kinda loud and you bump into everything like a Great Dane trying to maneuver around in a tiny home.” LaFontaine said with a chuckle.

It was the next day, and they were in the office downstairs with Kirsch, going over what Laura had recorded while in the mansion the night before.

“But I’m a good investigator. You know that.” He said, then swiveled his chair to face Laura. “Come on, back me up, Little Nerd.”

“It wasn’t like we didn’t want you there. It’s just the least amount of people the better, you know that.” She leaned forward and playfully punched his arm. “And when we went to scope it out in the daytime you had classes all day and then football practice. We figured you’d be too tired for a late night investigation.”

Even though he’d been their friends for years, he was the newest member in their investigative team. He still had some learning to do, but he was a good investigator. However, he did struggle with some classes and he was one of the stars of the football team, so he had more on his plate than the rest of them, so they had gone without him, not wanting him to stress over anything else.

“Plus you’re big and can be perceived as threatening. Whilst myself, Laura and even Per are all smaller and more approachable.” LaF added.

“Who knew my being tall, dark, and handsome would be my downfall…” He uttered dramatically.

LaF rolled their eyes.

Laura shook her head at him before she continued. “We’re going back. Not sure when, but soon. If you want to come then, you can.”

“Are you sure?” He asked.

“Yeah...actually you might be of help. There was a two boy spirits there. Maybe they can relate to you more and would be more comfortable with you than me.”

“Did you pick up on how many spirits were there?”

“I only talked to two directly, and heard a third. But when I asked how many were there, I got fifty-three as a response from a girl.”

“Whoa...that’s a lot.” Kirsch scratched the back of his head as he thought. “Especially for a private residence.”

“That’s what I said. And then she said that there were “more in the asylum”. Do you know anything about an asylum around here?”

“No.” Kirsch shook his head and frowned. “Get anything else?”

“I didn’t stay in there too long. Other than the two kids, no one came close enough to me for me to get any other information.”

Turning around from their desk, LaF gestured to the screen. “Well, Laura, you may have been talking to this boy and girl, but not one of their responses were picked up on the digital recorder. I did get footsteps and loud bangs though.”

They unplugged their earbuds from the computer before hitting the spacebar. The loud booms of doors radiated through the speakers that sat on their desk.

“That’s something, at least.” Kirsch said positively.

“Yeah, that was a bunch of doors slamming. I think it was the teenage boy who did that. The one that told me to get out.” Laura sighed. “Did you review the night vision camera footage too?”

“Yeah. At one point it kind of looks like a shadow moves by the banister at the bottom of the stairs, but it could also just be pixelation. It’s hard to tell.”

“That is where the boy was standing, so maybe it was him.”

“Could be. I’ll save it, just in case.” LaF saved the file and closed the tab before swiveling around in their chair. “Now let’s get to the more unsettling part. So all you found out about this “Maman” person was that she doesn’t like visitors?”

“Yeah, and the fact that they were afraid of her.” Laura bit her lip before continuing. “What if something bad is going on there?”

“Then we’ll help.” Kirsch replied, passion in his eyes. “I’m not gonna leave some poor kids to be stuck in a rundown mansion for forever.”

“But first, research.” LaF reminded him. “We need to try and find out who “Maman” was in life before we figure out how to deal with her in death, and why she’s still around with a bunch of kids. And why the heck there are a bunch of kids there to begin with.” With that, LaFontaine stood. “I’m gonna go to the library and see if they have anything. Kirsch, you try to find anything you can about the mansion online, and Laura, you try to find this asylum the girl talked about.”

Kirsch and Laura nodded, then each turned to their own respective desks to get to work, and LaF left for the library. Perry, whose presence they’d forgotten about since she’d kept quiet on the sofa by the door, wished them good luck before announcing that she was going to go make lunch soon. Laura wasted no time in getting to work, Google having become her best friend since they started investigating the paranormal. Laura looked over and saw Kirsch type in “Haus von Morgan”, the name of the mansion, and went from there. While he was doing his best to track down any new piece of information on the mansion, Laura started her own search. It took less than ten minutes before she ended up finding out that there had only been one asylum within a hundred mile radius of the mansion’s location. Laura opened a new tab and typed the name into the search bar, excited to see the results. Thankfully, she got a couple hits. It was at least well known enough to have it’s own Wikipedia page and a few short articles and quotes about it.

**“The Silas Asylum stood tall and proud after it’s 20 year construction was complete, officially opening in 1912. With it’s brown, local hand-cut stones and white accents around the doors and windows making up the exterior, the asylum sat on a vast plot of land in the middle of the lush Styrian countryside. Though the surroundings were ideal, the conditions weren’t always so. During its construction, when one section of the building was complete, they would move in a new batch of patients into the newly finished areas. It was a hard place to sleep at, and the construction noise only aggravated the patients and employees. On top of that,  even though the building was built to house the insane, at that period of time, women specifically, could be committed for such things as disobedience, hysteria, pregnancy-related sadness, anxiety, etc. These women had little or no rights, and any defiance was often met with severe punishment.”**

So basically just living as a woman who didn’t do exactly as she was expected was in danger of being locked up. Laura loved learning about history, but sometimes it just made her mad.

**“Between the false cases, truly mentally ill people were admitted and treated, even though the doctors had no real understanding of the array of mental disorders. As time went on, the treatments became more extreme. In the 1930’s, doctors attempted radical cures such as lobotomies, insulin-induced comas, and electroshock therapy. While some patients did see positive results, the ones that did not outweighed them greatly. Even with the statistics, the institution continued these practices into the late 1940’s. In the early 1950’s, chemists started experimenting with pills and powders. The hope was that if they got the right combination of medications, it would calm the imbalances in the brains of patients and provide relief. By this point in time, the majority of the asylum population was no longer women who were locked away for not subscribing to society’s rules, but truly mentally ill people who were suffering. The goal was to have every person on medicine so that they could live fruitful lives outside of the institution.”**

As mad as Laura became while reading, she hoped for a relatively happy ending to all this, but wasn’t holding her breath.

**“To an extent, this was successful. Medications were capable of soothing people with cases such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, but at the same time, the number of people who were institutionalized for mental illnesses were rising drastically. However, the more time that went by, the better the medicine got, and in the early 1960s, experts began to move the patients out of the asylum and back into their communities. With the number of new and working medications rising, the more the patient population decreased. Unfortunately, the communities were much slower in adapting to the large amounts of people that needed intense care. Very few people were able to get housing assistance, job training, psychiatric counseling, life skills training, and social support. With no actual help, most patients only moved out of the facility and into different but no better situations. This prompted the asylum to become a sanatorium to house the patients that had nowhere to go, or who those that simply wanted to stay. But due to the deterioration of the building and lack of funds, the Silas Asylum was closed in 1992, after 80 years of being open, leaving the remaining patients homeless.”**

Laura sat back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. She’d gone from sad to outraged, furious, and then to an even deeper sadness. Yes, a lot of the patients ended up back out in the world, managing their disorders, but still so many didn’t or couldn’t. She was thankful how far medicine has come from back then, but mental illness was still a major issue globally. In many ways, it’s just the same as it was back then, people didn’t want to talk about it and didn’t want to see it. These days there are more resources available, but it is still an issue with a whole lot of stigma attached to it. Laura hated the idea that the spirit girl may be right.  _ The asylum has more _ . Those words that had once shocked her, now make her purely heartbroken to think of how many might still be there. Whether they don’t know or can’t understand that they are dead, or they don’t want to leave...or can’t. Laura decided then to make it her mission to help those in the mansion and the asylum. Like Kirsch had said, he wasn’t going to sit by and let these people be stuck, when they could move on to a much happier place. Letting out a sigh, she printed the page for everyone to read later, and to have a record to place in their case file after their investigation was done. She also printed off the few pictures she found and stapled the papers together before setting them aside.

“My brain hurts.” Laura said to Kirsch as she spun around in her chair slowly, eying the comfy sofa on the other side of the room.

“I saw you printed off something. What’d you find?” Kirsch asked, taking his eyes off his screen.

Laura stood up, handed him the print-outs, and then took the few steps over to the sofa and plopped onto it. In the process of researching, apparently her butt had fallen asleep and was now tingling, as if happy to be off the uncomfortable chair and onto a plush surface. As Kirsch read the papers, Laura closed her eyes and yawned, still tired. She hadn’t gotten a good night’s rest because her brain was busy thinking about all the possibilities and directions that this case could go in. They hadn’t really encountered something like this before. Yeah, she came across “trapped” spirits all the time, but they were always the only ones in their way. Whether from guilt, fear, or feeling like they had to stay. But the key had been letting their Earthly emotional baggage go, and trusting that they would be okay. It had been tough at times, spirits still as stubborn in death as they were in life, but she always got through to them. Now that they were faced with the probability that these spirits were being trapped here by someone else, Laura knew it was going to be the most challenging thing she’s ever done. But it would be worth it in the end.

“Shit, that’s sad.” Kirsch said, having finished reading the articles a few minutes later.

She opened her eyes and looked over at him. “Yeah. If that girl is right, just think how many people may be trapped there.”

“I’d rather not. But...if they need help, then we’ll help them.”

His confidence made her feel better, but she still had doubts. What if she tried their hardest and still nothing could be done? Laura hated to think of what would happen if that were the case.

“Lunch!” Perry hollered from the kitchen.

Laura was thankful for else to occupy her mind for just a few minutes. Kirsch pulled her up off of the sofa, and the two made their way out into the kitchen and sat on their usual stools at the counter. It had become a habit since the dining table was usually covered in their school work, books, movies, or LaF’s various scientific ingredients and glassware. A plate was instantly placed in front of her, containing a turkey, tomato, and cucumber sandwich, with Perry’s special mayo. It was simple, but one of Laura’s favorite meals, and just what she needed to bring her mood back up just a tatch. And as a side-dish, Perry had fixed a rather fancy-looking soup. Both Laura and Kirsch devoured their meal and gave the redhead their appreciation, seeing as how she was basically the only one of the four of them in the house that actually knew how to cook. Not a day went by that they weren’t grateful for her. Even if she could be irritatingly uptight about a lot of things. When she was done, Laura rinsed her bowl out  in the sink and decided that she should probably take a short nap. She was still tired from the lack of sleep she got the night before and didn’t want to being fighting exhaustion off later on when they would either go investigating again, or had to do more research. So she went up to her room, set her phone alarm to go off in two hours, then laid down...falling asleep just moments after her head hit the pillow..

//

When she woke to the sound of her phone going off, she groaned out of irritating, but forced herself to get up. With a yawn and a stretch, she headed downstairs where voices were coming from the kitchen.

“We should send L in there with the thermal. We may have better luck with that than the night vision.” LaF said as they carefully put the camera in it’s form-fitting foam and shut the case.

“What’s that contraption do again?” Perry asked as she leaned against the counter in the small kitchen, cleaning it for the second time that day.

“It lets you see the temperature of everything that the camera is pointing at.” LaF answered.

“Ah, right.” The curly-haired woman replied.

“Look who’s finally back.” Laura said as she entered the room. “Find anything out?”

“Yes, actually.” They said before picking up their bag from the floor and digging out a notebook. “Hey, Kirsch, come in here!” They called their friend so things wouldn’t have to be explained again.

“Yo!” He said as he entered. “What’s up, my nerds?”

“Info I got from the library.”

“Oh, right. Spill it!”

“So here’s the deal: it turns out that Haus von Morgan wasn’t the first building on that property.”

“Do tell.” Laura encouraged.

“Before the mansion was built in 1900, there had been a school in it’s place. Silas Academy. Built in 1847, but it burned down in a fire in 1895. With a bunch of kids and teachers still in it.

“Oh my goodness.” Perry said softly, stopping her wiping down of the counter.

“Yeah…” LaF continued. “And get this, ever since the mansion was built, people have reported ghostly happenings on the property. Contrary to what we believed, Haus von Morgan wasn’t always a private residence. Originally it was a bed and breakfast, but over the years it got a bad rep for being haunted. Here.” They pulled out some papers from the notebook and handed them over to Laura. “I printed out a few accounts from guests that stayed there.”

Laura skimmed a few paragraphs as Kirsch leaned closer and looked at them over her shoulder.

“So you think the kids who died in the school are haunting the mansion?” He asked.

“I mean, it would make sense.” LaF said before a smile overtook their face. “But there’s one last thing.”

“Oh, this better be good.” Laura said, knowing that look on her friend’s face.

“I pretty much read every article they had on the school, and I came across a very interesting name. The Headmaster was Lilita Morgan...but she preferred that the students refer to her as Maman.”

Laura’s eyes went wide. It was always surreal getting validation that what she had picked up on were true.

“And also she was apparently a mean lady that most the kids were scared of.”

“You still haven’t told us one thing.” Perry spoke back up, finally having finished cleaning. “You said this Maman woman’s name was Lilita Morgan. I’m assuming she had a connection to Haus von Morgan?”

LaF nodded. “She died in the fire, but the person who bought the property seemed to have been an admirer of Ms. Morgan, so he had it built and named it after her.”

“If she died in the fire as well...” Laura thought out loud, before looking over at LaF. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“What are you two thinking?” Kirsch asked.

LaF answered. “That Lilita Morgan is still their scary Headmaster.”

Laura nodded. “That explains why the kids are still there. Typically children don’t just stay around and haunt a place for decades for no reason. They usually have no qualms about crossing over, unless something specific is holding them back.”

“Or  _ someone _ .” LaF had now gotten serious. “They all died together but Ms. Morgan seemed to love the power she had over the students in life, and I bet that she didn’t want to give that up, even in death.”

They all took in that horrible thought for a few moments.

“Guys, I know we planned on going back to investigate the mansion, but I’m not sure that’s the best idea right now.” Kirsch said. “The girl said there were more spirits at the asylum...so what if these two places are related somehow? If they are trapped at the mansion, how else would she know about that?”

LaFontaine bit their lip. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. We should figure out how those two places are connected. I know it’s a longer drive than the mansion, and we hadn’t really planned on investigating that tonight, but are you guys up for going to the asylum?”

“Yes.” Laura answered without hesitation.

“You know it.” Kirsch replied.

They all looked at Perry then, who had been silently taking all this information in. “I suppose I don’t really have a choice.”

Good enough.

“Come on, Per. I know you want to get to the bottom of this just like we do.” LaF said, seeing behind Perry’s front that she puts up.

“For the children.” She said. “I can’t stand the thought of them being trapped there. So if going to the asylum helps...then...I’m in.”

Laura has always found Perry interesting. When they had first met, through her association with LaFontaine, she was definitely a major skeptic. For whatever reason, the redhead just didn’t like having to deal with anything that wasn’t considered “normal”. Laura guessed that it was partially due to the fact that Perry had grown up in a strict household. Everything had to be done a certain way. Whether it be the way she talked, how the table was set, how every room had to be spotless, and so on. It was a pattern that she’d grown accustomed to young and anything that deviated from that was a stresser. Of course, everyone in their friend group knew that Perry dealt with things by cleaning, and not actually dealing with what made her start doing that to begin with. They had all heard the infamous “be normal!” speech many times, over their three years at the university, but one night where LaF had somehow finally convinced Perry to join them on a paranormal investigation, shit got real. There had been so much activity in the place that they had gone, that even Perry: Queen of Excuses, couldn’t deny that there was something not of the norm going on. From then, she’s been getting more and more open. Plus it helped that Laura would pick up something from one of the spirits, they would do some research, and it would be proven to be true. All in all, It was quite the transformation for the woman, actually.

Though she was still...rigid about a lot of things, there had just been too much evidence pushed right in front of her face that made it impossible to argue her case any longer, at least with the paranormal. They now sometimes lovinging called her Perrynormal, and while at first she thought it was silly, she had grown to not like the nickname per say, but not hate it either. She didn’t care to actually investigate, instead she took on the chaperone role, even though none of them felt as if they really needed supervision, they were glad it was Perry.  And in her duties as supervisor, she’s become slightly more interested in wanting to know what all the gadgets they were using did, or even on occasion, she asked Laura about her gift, even though it’s obviously she’s still a little afraid of what the Laura can do. Laura was just happy that everyone in the group had accepted her. Kirsch had been the first one that she told, him seeming to be the most open-minded of them all. And he didn’t even have to see her in action, he believed her right from the get-go. It made her sad to think that people make snap judgements of him because he’s a frat boy. Yeah, he has his total dudebro moments, but that is quickly overshadowed by how loyal and kind he is. Like a puppy. He’d never do anything to intentionally hurt someone, and he’s the most loyal person outside of Laura’s family that she’s ever met.

On the other hand when she told LaFontaine, while extremely interested, wanted proof. Laura wasn’t surprised, any scientist would. She’d never been the kind of person to want to convert people into believers, but LaF was different. They already believed in the paranormal, and wanted to see it happen. When she’d sat down one night in LaF’s room, Laura had opened herself to anyone who wanted to come through and give her friend a message. In the end, their grandmother, who had passed away a good decade ago, came through and told them where their grandfather’s watch was hidden, something no one, not even the family knew. LaF told Laura that they’d always loved that watch, and wanted to wear it in memory of him, but when they went to go get it, it was nowhere to be found. LaFontaine had called their aunt, who now lived in the house their grandparents had lived in, and found it where Laura had said it would be. That was pretty much all the proof that they needed to know that their friend had something special going on. And while LaF was super interested, they promised not to treat Laura as a guinea pig. To which she was thankful. Though she doesn’t mind answering their questions every once in awhile. At least, to the best of her ability. She doesn’t know why she can do what she does, or how, so that’s one thing she’ll never be able to answer. While it’s probably disappointing to someone like LaF, Laura doesn’t really need to know all the answers. What’s the point if you know everything there is to know? She liked a little mystery in her life.

Though the current mystery on their hands was frustrating. After coming up with a game-plan for that night, they all split up to work on their individual class projects, but just before nightfall, they all got ready and piled into LaFontaine’s car, and headed followed the GPS to where the Silas Asylum should be. It had took about an hour to get there from the college campus, and it really was in the middle of nowhere, so Laura wasn’t surprised that no one even knew it was out there. The barely visible gravel drive weaved them through a thick, dark forest for a few minutes before opening up, and the large building was towering over them. Even for an asylum, it looked a lot more ominous than Laura was expecting. It was probably a lot less intimidating in the daytime, but they hadn’t wanted to wait until the next day, which was a Sunday, and they couldn’t spend all night investigating then when they would have classes at the asscrack of dawn on Monday morning. This was their last chance until next weekend. As they all got out, the closing of their car doors echoed in the night, but something else held Laura’s attention. Usually she had to go in a place and calm herself before she would really start to feel if there were any spirits around, but as she drew closer to the gargantuan building, she felt as if there were people in every window looking out at them. And there were over a hundreds windows just on the front of the building.

A chill shot up her spine. She had never felt something this intense without trying to channel it. It was unsettling to say the least, even though she wasn’t necessarily getting a negative vibe. Just the sheer amount of spirits that hadn’t moved on was upsetting. But even the word ‘upsetting’ didn’t quite seem to be the right word to describe it. ‘Devastating’ is more like it.

“You alright, Little Nerd?” Kirsch asked, coming up behind her.

“Not really.” She answered honestly. “The girl was right. There are a lot of them in there. I can feel it all the way out here.”

She could tell that Kirsch didn’t really know how to reply to that, but it was okay. She didn’t really know what else to say either. He just laid a hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her against him into a side-hug. She couldn’t help but smile, if only a little. He held her close for a few moments before letting her go and leading her back over to the car where LaFontaine had placed a map of the asylum that they had photocopied at the library on the hood of the car. Without the map, they would just be wandering, having no idea where anything was. At least now, they had an idea what rooms were used for what, and where exactly they are.

“So, what do you guys think...should we set up some cameras?” LaF asked.

“We don’t really know what places are the hot-spots though.” Kirsch answered.

Laura looked back at the building. “The place feels like one huge hot-spot.”

“I think tonight should be more than just trying to get evidence.” Perry said, eyebrows scrunched together, worry in her eyes. “If there is a connection to the mansion, we need to focus on getting those answers, rather than if we get anything on our cameras.”

LaF bit their lip for a few moments before nodding. “Perry’s right. We’ll take our digital recorders in, and even our K2 Meters, but leave the rest of our equipment here. This  _ is _ more than getting evidence. We need to find out what is going on and offer our help.”

“Agreed.” Kirsch said.

“We should split into two groups, myself and Per, and Kirsch and Laura. We’ll go on opposite sides of the building. That way there would be no contamination in hearing the other team.”

“Should we stay together at all times, or branch off every so often?”

“Branch off every so often, but stay fairly close to each other just in case something happens. No one wants to be completely alone in a strange place. If something happens and someone gets hurt or lost, radio the other team and we’ll all meet up and go from there.”

“Sounds good.” He said.

“You and L head into the West Wing, and Per and I will take the East Wing.”

“What about the car?” Perry said. “I usually look after all our things, and I don’t like leaving it out here.”

“I can park it behind the building, hiding it from anyone who might come in. Even though I highly doubt that will happen, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

After all four of them pocketed their digital recorders and K2 Meters, LaF handed Laura a copy of the map before rolling up theirs and putting it in their back pocket.

“We’ll radio check-in at midnight. That’s an hour from now.” They said, looking at their watch.

“Got it.” Laura replied, then watched as LaFontaine got in the car and drove it around the back of the building, with Perry in the passenger's seat, before turning to Kirsch. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”


	3. Chapter 3

Laura could tell that Kirsch was nervous, and she couldn’t really blame him. They were headed into a unfamiliar place, not having done a daytime walk-through and baseline sweep. They were going in basically blind. They walked up to the Administrative Office, which was in the center of the building, both East and West Wings branched out on either side of it, and up the dirty white steps to the front doors where they could see the doors had been boarded up, but broken into long ago.

“Ladies first.” Kirsch said, opening one door up with a loud and spine-tingling creak that was right out of a scary movie.

“What a gentleman.” She replied sarcastically.

They both flicked on their small flashlights and took a look around before entering. It was probably the most run-down, falling apart building she’d ever been in. Most the paint was peeling off the walls or had accumulated on the already disastrous floors. Papers were strewn, debris from outside had come in and started growing weeds in a few places. The glass from some of the front windows had been smashed in, and lay over and under various things.

“Watch where you step.” Laura said quietly before finally taking a step forward, leaves and small shards of glass crunching beneath her shoes.

It was impossible to be quiet. Every step made a loud noise and it echoed in the high ceilinged area. According to the map, if they headed straight back, they would find the kitchen and pantry, but even though she was curious about what it looked like, that’s not where they were headed. Looking over to her left, Laura shone her flashlight to a set of double doors that lead into the East Wing, and lead the way, Kirsch treading lightly (or as lightly as he could) behind her. Once they were able to pry the metal door open, an entire empty floor revealed itself before them. Well, empty to anyone who couldn’t feel that it was all  _ but _ empty. Having been blocked off from the closed door, none of the outside debris had come in to coat this floor as well, but the paint continued to peel off in flecks and scatter on the floor. Kirsch shined his light down the length of the hall to the end that seemed miles away.

“I thought I saw a shadow...but I think it’s just me psyching myself out.”

“You never know.” She replied, then gestured to a door to their right, a sign next to it indicated it was a stairwell. “Come on, let’s go up a level.”

Again, they managed to pull the door open, only after several tries, and Laura lead the way up to the second floor. The door opening up into the second floor was ajar, so Laura didn’t have to push too hard to get it to move and open all the way. As soon as they exited from the stairwell, Laura felt a blanket of heavy energy greet her. It was not surprising, but still intense. Oppressive to say the least.

“Damn...it’s different up here.” Kirsch commented.

“You feel that heaviness too?”

He nodded. “Definitely. It feels like my chest is tightening.”

Laura took the first steps forward down the hallway. Most of the doors on either side of the hall were sitting wide open, or halfway closed and crooked their hinges. It almost looked like if you dared to touch something, it might disintegrate right then and there. The rooms were small, but most still had a set of cots in them that didn’t look too bad, others, it was clear that animals had gotten into them and tore them apart. However, it looked like nothing living had been in this place for a long time. The animals, for whatever reason, had vacated and not come back.

“Want to go to the middle of the hall and settle for a EVP session?” Kirsch asked.

“Sure.”

Slowly making their way further down the hall in the pitch black, only their flashlights guiding them, they made it to approximately the middle of the hallway and brushed aside dust, and paint chips before they sat down, Kirsch on one side of the hall and Laura on the other.

“Okay, EVP session starting.” He said, pressing a button on his recorder, then set it in the space between them. “Silas Asylum, second floor hallway.” Putting the K2 next to the digital recorder. And going dark.”

They both turned off their flashlights, enveloping them in total darkness.

“We’re sorry if we are disturbing you.” Kirsch started, addressing the spirits. “We just came here to hopefully get some answers.”

It took a few moments for Laura’s eyes to adjust, but even then, everything was black. If she were being honest, she wasn’t all that fond of the dark, never knowing what could be sneaking up on you, but it was much more easy to deal with when she was with another person.

“My name is Kirsch, and this is my friend Laura.”

“Hello.” She said, introducing herself.

“There are two devices on the floor in front of me.” He continued. “One can record your voice if you talk, so we can hear it. Or if you don’t feel like talking, the device next to it is a meter that will light up different colors when you get near it or touch it. Neither of them will hurt you in any way, they will just help us communicate with you better.”

When Laura had first started investigating with LaF and Kirsch, she had so many spirits ask what those devices were, that she had told her friends to always explain what they were using. It made spirits more likely to come closer, rather than stay away out of fear that it would harm them. She couldn’t help but be proud every time they remembered to.

“Can you give us a sign that you are here?” He asked, his voice cutting through the silence.

They sat there quietly, waiting for a sign. It was typical for them to wait about twenty seconds in between questions, to give the spirits enough time to say or do something. And as they waited, Laura’s ears perked. She swore she heard whispers down the hall to her left. Like two people were talking quietly about them. It was too low or far away for her to understand anything that was being spoken, but it was  _ something _ .

“Can you knock on something? Like this...” Kirsch said before extending his arm and knocking twice on the wall he was leaning up against, making a low thumping sound that echoed in the hallway.

If they were at any other location, Laura would have already gone into her calm state and tried to pick up on energies with her gift, but this place was different. She knew there were probably hundreds of people here, and frankly, it would be too overwhelming to see them in her mind’s eye and feel their emotions. Besides, sometimes she relied on her gift too heavily. It would do her some good to investigate just like her friends did for once. Just then, there was a shuffling noise coming from one of the rooms to her right. It was maybe a few doors down.

“Did you hear that?” Kirsch asked in a whisper.

Laura nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. “Yeah.”

“We heard you. You don’t have to be afraid, we aren’t here to hurt you.”

“Can you come closer and touch the device on the floor?” She asked this time. “The lights will illuminate pretty colors if you do that.”

They waited, keeping their eyes open and ears sharp. It was a few more moments before the right side of Laura’s body started to tingle, and the air got just a little bit cooler. Just then K2 flickered its green lights for just a second.

“Good Job.” She said. Now, can you make the lights go on for “yes”, and leave them off for “no”?”

After a few seconds the green light flickered again. It was like someone was just very quickly putting their hand close enough for it to light up, but then pulling it away quickly, like they were still afraid something would happen if they touched it for too long.

“Are you a female?” Kirsch asked.

Nothing. But the tingles got more intense.

“Are you a male?”

A few seconds later, the green lit up for a full second before going off.

“I’m sorry if this upsets you but...” Kirsch prefaced. “...do you know that you are dead?”

A flicker, then the sound of light footsteps where the whispers had come from minutes before. Laura looked in that direction, but saw nothing.

“My friend Laura here is a Sensitive. If you can talk, she should be able to hear you.”

“The person who was making the device light up. What’s your name?” She asked softly.

“ _ Robbi _ e.” A young boy, she gauged maybe fifteen, spoke a few seconds later.

“Nice to meet you. Robbie, this is my friend Kirsch.”

“Hey, dude.” Kirsch said...in the wrong direction.

“ _ You really  _ can _ hear me _ .”

“Yes, I can.”

“ _ That thing on the floor...takes a lot of energy _ .”

“You don’t have to keep using it, then.”

“ _ It doesn’t take any energy to talk to you _ .” He said as if he were amazed.

“How much energy would it take for you to have Kirsch hear you?” She asked, curious.

“ _ More energy than I have right now _ .”

“How do you get energy around here?” She asked.

Spirits are able to drain electronics and batteries, but the asylum has none of those left.

“ _ We rest _ .”

“Like...sleep?”

“ _ Sort of _ .”

“ _ Robbie, stop talking to them! You’re going to get us in trouble _ !” A young female voice came from further away.

That’s when Laura figured now was the perfect time to get to the point of why there were there in the first place.

“In trouble with who?”

There was silence for a few moments before he let out a sigh. “ _ We’re not supposed to talk about it _ .”

“Oh, it just got colder over here.” Kirsch said.

In the dark she could only barely see his outline, now with his arm stuck out, feeling the air, actually in Robbie’s direction this time.

“ _ Ahhhhhhh! _ ” A scream jolted Laura and echoed through the hall.

“Did you hear that?” Laura asked Kirsch.

“Hear what?”

“That scream.”

“No.”

“ _ That was Megan. She does that...a lot _ .”

“Why?” She asked.

“Are you talking to me?” Kirsch asked.

“No, Robbie.”

“ _ Insane asylum _ .” He responded, like it was obvious.

“Right. But you’re not?”

She hadn’t sensed anything off about him. He just seemed like a normal kid.

“ _ Get them out before she comes back _ !” Another voice said in the distance.” _ Or we’ll all be in trouble _ !”

“ _ Trouble! Trouble! Trouble _ !”

“ _ Shut up, Megan _ !”

“That’s actually why I’m here.” Laura said, urgency now in her voice. “I was at a mansion last night, that’s not too far from here. I was talking to this girl and she mentioned something that lead me to believe that you all aren’t staying here just because you want to. Is that right? Are you unable to leave?”

“ _ You should go _ .” He replied grimly after a few seconds of silence.

No, he wasn’t going to shut down now. She couldn’t let that happen. Not before they got the answers that they came here to get. They were so close now.

“ _ Don’t say a word _ .” A girl whispered behind Robbie.

“We’re here to help you.” Laura pleaded.

“ _ No one can help us _ .” Robbie said, dejected. “ _ You should leave now, before something bad happens _ .”

Before Laura could say anything else, the tingling at her side vanished, and all went quiet again.

“Damn it.” She cursed herself.

“The coldness is gone.” Kirsch noted. “Are you still talking to him?”

“No. He left. And told us to leave before something bad happens.”

“Well, at least you made contact.”

She really liked Kirsch. He always tried to see the bright side of things.

“We should move on from this area. They are purposefully keeping their distance now.”

“Okay.” He said, leaning forward and grabbing the digital recorder and stopping it before also taking the K2.

They both stood up and wiped their clothes off before turning on their flashlights and continuing further down the hall. She felt like they were being watched, but from afar. No one wanted to get close to her now that they had been warned to leave. They passed a few padded isolation rooms, that were no longer crisp white like she imagined they had once been. They were dirty with dust and dirt, and holes were ripped into them, presumably from the same animals that had destroyed some of the cots. She was ready make the move up another level when she passed the last isolation cell to get to the door...inside was a figure.

“Oh!” She startled, jumping back and hitting Kirsch.

“What? Are you okay?” He asked, concerned.

“I…” She couldn’t get her words out. “Uh…”

“ _ Wow _ .” The spirit said. “ _ Do I really look that bad? _ ”

It was very rare for her to see a spirit with her own two eyes, and not in her mind’s eye. And from the ones she had seen, they were either black shadows, mists, or very transparent. This figure, this  _ girl _ was different. She was solid and Laura would have mistaken her for a living person if her body wasn’t glowing, giving her a slight blue tint in the darkness. She was sitting on the floor of the padded cell (this one in much better shape than the rest) and leaning against the wall with her head down and her body slumped, like she was exhausted. She had black hair that hid her face, the skin on her arms was almost as pale as the beat up off-white t-shirt and pants she was wearing, and her feet were bare and dirty.

“Sorry.” Laura apologized, to both the girl and Kirsch. “I just wasn’t expecting to  _ see _ you.”

“ _ Well, here I am _ .” She replied, lifting her head to look at them.

If Laura had trouble getting her words out before, now she was rendered speechless. The girl was beautiful. She had brown eyes, light pink lips, and naturally sharp features that were only more prominent because of how thin she is. She looked like she was in her early twenties, but it was hard to tell.

“ _ Didn’t your mother ever tell you it’s rude to stare _ ?”

“Sorry.” She said again. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting you to be so beautiful.”

“ _ Beautiful _ ?” The girl scoffed. “ _ I haven’t looked in a mirror since before I died, so I’m pretty sure I look even worse than I did then...which was terrible _ .”

“You just look tired. And hungry.”

“ _ I  _ was  _ hungry. Death cured that _ .” Her voice got softer than before, and there was a far away look in her eyes. “ _ But I’m not always tired _ .”

Laura paused for a moment before she stepped closer, entering the doorway to the cell. But that seemed to snap the girl out of her thoughts.

“ _ You should leave _ .” She said in a hard voice, frown now on her face.

Laura was getting real tired of hearing that. She stopped in her tracks, not wanting to make the girl more uncomfortable than she seemed to have.

“No. I’m here to find out what is going on. To help.”

“ _ We can’t be helped _ .”

“So I keep hearing.”

“ _ Maybe you should start listening, then _ .”

Laura gritted her teeth.

“I believe we can help all of you if you just tell us what’s going on.”

“ _ It doesn’t matter if you believe or don’t _ .  _ Nothing will help us. Certainly not a naive child like yourself _ .”

Laura sighed loudly. “You are so frustrating. Has anyone ever told you that?”

“ _ Why do you think I’m in here to begin with _ ?”

That hit Laura like a ton of bricks. She hadn’t meant to…

“ _ Just go _ .”

“I’m sorry.”

“ _ Sorry doesn’t mean anything when you’re dead _ .”

“Still.” Laura bit her lip, then back away from the room. “Thank you for talking to me.”

The girl turned her head away and her hair fell back over her face where Laura couldn’t see it anymore.

“So, uh, onto the third floor?” Kirsch asked hesitantly a few moments later.

Honestly, she didn’t feel like continuing. Maybe her being there was only upsetting them. But did they really want to spend the rest of eternity in an old, abandoned asylum? She ventured to guess not, but that they were absolutely convinced that there was no alternative. There was. She just had to find someone willing to actually talk about what’s been going on here. Following Kirsch up the steps, they made it to the third floor. It was mainly surgical rooms, recovery rooms, treatment rooms, and a few patient rooms. They heard some noises, but no one came out to talk to her, even when asked. LaFontaine radioed them not long after they got up there, and agreed to meet in another hour to go over anything they may have caught. Kirsch lead another EVP session, but Laura didn’t hear any responses with her own ears. Though that didn’t mean anything, someone could have said something without her knowledge, it’s happened before, especially when her mind is too busy. After he concluded the session, they looked through the operation rooms out of curiosity, which were creepy, still having a lot of the equipment and utensils in there. With no activity, they headed up to the fourth and last floor. It was set up basically just like the second floor. Lots of rooms that looked empty, but weren’t, and still no one spoke up or got her attention. It seemed that their peak of communication had passed for the night.

Still, they had time before meeting back up with LaF and Perry, so they still attempted communication, but to no avail. So when the hour was nearly up, they made their way back down to the ground floor. She felt the bulk of the people were here and on the second floor. There were a few offices, nurses stations, a salon, and a breaker/transformer room. The rest were patient rooms that took up the majority of the space. They stood by the front desk in the Administrative building where they had come in and called out one last time for anyone who wanted to talk to join them, but still, nothing. Laura was starting to think that she had screwed up somehow, and now they weren’t going to talk with her ever again. So when LaF radioed them a second time and asked to rendezvous at the car, she was more relieved than anything. Her and Kirsch slipped out the front entrance and walked around the large building to find the car parked right behind the edge of the building. A couple minutes later, their friends came out the back, most likely out of the kitchen area. LaF looked like their normal self, but Perry was even more rigid than normal, which was saying something. She wasn’t used to investigating, but they needed to utilize the buddy system in large places like this for safety reasons.

“Hey. Get anything?” LaF asked, wiping sweat from their forehead.

“Sort of.” Laura replied. “I talked to two people, but both were tight lipped about what is going on, and we were told to leave.”

“Don’t ghosts ever get tired of telling people to leave?” They pondered. “Did you do EVP sessions?”

“Yeah.” Kirsch said, pulling his digital recorder out of his pocket, holding it up to where it glinted in the moonlight, then handed it over.

Laura had completely forgot to use hers. In fact, she and Kirsch stayed together the entire time, and hadn’t split up once like they had planned. It’s easy to forget though, in a place such as this. You tend more to stay with the person you’re with rather than venture in your own direction, especially when you know you’re being watched the entire time by people you cannot see.

“Cool. We’ll review them now.” They said, starting to walk around the back of the car.

“Can we take it home and listen to it tomorrow?” Perry said, voice wavering.

“Are you okay, Perry?” Laura asked.

“She’s fine, just still a little rattled.” LaF answered, unlocking and opening the trunk.

“What happened?” Kirsch asked, walking over and putting a hand on her shoulder.

“She may or may not have gotten touched.” LaF said offhanded.

“Grabbed!” Perry corrected. “I felt  _ fingers _ on my leg!”

“Whoa!” Kirsch exclaimed. “Way to go, Perry.”

“It wasn’t exactly enjoyable.” The curly-haired redhead said, wrapping her arms tighter around herself.

“And did it hurt?” LaF challenged.

“Well...no…”

“Then whoever it was probably just wanted your attention or to scare you off.”

“Either way, I didn’t like it.” The woman said before going over to the car and opening up the passenger door. “And I’m done for tonight.” She got in and closed the door behind her with a thud.

“Like I said, she’s fine.” LaF waved off. “You know Perry and her dramatics.”

“I can still hear you, LaFontaine!” Perry said, voice muffled.

Kirsch tried not to laugh, and while it was amusing, Laura’s thoughts were still somewhere else.

“So...we all know Per’s vote. What about you two? Stay longer or head back home?”

“As much as I’d like to stay, the spirits clammed up after a certain point, and I think we should just leave them be for tonight.” Laura reasoned. “We can come back soon and try again.”

“Laura knows the spirit's best, so I agree about coming back another time.” Kirsch agreed.

“Alright. That’s three against one.” LaF sighed. “Sucks we were only here two hours.”

“Sucks it takes an hour to get here and get back.” Kirsch added. “Too bad we can’t pitch a tent…”

“You’d really want to sleep next to an asylum with hundreds of spirits in it?” Laura asked, doubting that he actually would do that given the chance.

“Well, I mean, they wouldn’t like, come out here and mess with us when we were sleeping. Right?”

Both her and LaF rolled their eyes.

“We can talk about that another time.” LaF said before closing the trunk. “Let’s go.”

Kirsch nodded and turned his flashlight off before getting into the car. “Well, we tried. That’s all we could do for right now.”

Laura knew he was right, but she still had a hard time getting her feet to move, feeling like they were weighted down. She managed to get in the car and buckle up, but couldn’t help but look back through the rear windshield as they drove away. Catching her eye immediately, in one of the second floor windows, she saw her. The girl from the padded isolation room. She stood there for a few seconds before moving away and disappearing back into the shadows. When Laura finally turned back around in her seat, she knew that there was just something about that girl. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. The only thing she knew for certain at this moment was that she would see her again. Intuition told her that much. As for actually getting actual confirmation of their suspicions, well, that all depended on the spirits. She understood their initial reluctance, but if they were trapped, wouldn’t they want all the help they could get? If she were in their shoes she would, but Laura also tries to keep in mind that she knows more than the average person about what happens after death. She knows that there is a white Light just waiting for them, but they don’t know that. Whatever is happening at the mansion and the asylum is shielding them from it, and she wasn’t going to let that go on any longer. More determined than ever, she vowed that no matter what, the next time she steps foot into the asylum, she is going to get to the bottom of it one way or another. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, today the webseries officially ends, but the characters will live in our hearts forever. On the bright side, we have fanfiction to keep us busy until the movie comes out next year. So let's all try to put out positive energy rather than sadness. I hope this chapter brings you some enjoyment :)

The next morning, the group, minus Perry (who was still upset at the grabbing incident), were back in the downstairs office of their house, all listening to LaF and Kirsch’s EVP sessions from the previous night. They ended up recording a few thumps here and there, but the one thing that surprised all of them was a scream. The scream that Laura had heard, but Kirsch hadn’t, and the recorder had picked up. It sent chills down all their spines. Over the last three years they had captured whispers, knocks, footsteps, but nothing as loud and clear as that wail from the girl known as Megan. As good as that evidence was, they hadn’t captured anything in response to their questions. It was disappointing but not at all unexpected. These spirits, for whatever reason, are so tight-lipped that even if Laura hadn’t suspected that something bad was at play from the very beginning, she would have no doubt figured it out by now. But for the moment, there was nothing they could do. On Sundays they always caught up on sleep and did their homework. As much as they wanted to be out in the field solving mysteries and capturing evidence, they were all in their last year of college and couldn’t afford to fall behind now. So once they had finished listening to their audio, they all separated and got to work on their separate assignments. It was a bummer, but it had to be done if they wanted to graduate.

It had been decided that they would all go back to the asylum the coming weekend, but by the time that Wednesday rolled around, Laura was using most of her brain power to think of anything but that place. She couldn’t help it. It was calling to her. Begging her to come back. Pleading for her to try and fix everything. She didn’t know if it was the spirits there making her feel this way, even though they had told her to leave, or if it was the location itself. Maybe subconsciously they thought that she could actually come through for them. She wished she knew. And there really was no other way to get answers to some of her questions without going back. So she did what she had promised herself that she wouldn’t ever do unless it was an emergency...she skipped class. It was only her Lit course, and she was friends with the TA, so it wasn’t _that_ bad. It was her last class of the day anyway. Yeah, she could have waited another two hours for all of her friends to get back from their respective classes and convince them that they needed to go, but there was something in her pushing her to go _now_. So she left a note, took the car, and left. The drive down there was filled with questions and anxiety, butterflies feeling like they were fluttering around in her stomach. It was strange. She’d never been like this before in regards to a location. It made her wonder if she was really in over her head, but as she pulled onto the overgrown path and made her way through the thick woods, it was too late to turn back now.

As she had thought, the place was much less intimidating in the daylight. It just looked like an old, rundown building, but unfortunately she knew what was inside. Since she was alone, she didn’t want to take any chances, so she pulled around the back of the building and parked, so if anyone came while she was here, they hopefully wouldn’t see the car. Even though she knew Krav Maga and carried Day-of-the-Week bear spray with her, it was always better to take every precaution. Once she parked and got out, she checked her pockets. She carried a flashlight and a digital recorder. That’s it. Nothing fancy. To be honest, she didn’t even know why she brought the recorder in the first place. She didn’t really need it to talk to the spirits, after all. LaFontaine had probably just rubbed off on her. In any case, she was here, and she was more than ready for some answers. Laura didn’t even want to entertain the possibility that she would be leaving here later on with nothing to show for it. She had to. She was going to find someone to talk to, whether that be Robbie, the mystery girl, or someone else. She decided to enter in the back way this time, where LaF and Perry had come out a few nights before. The door was held open by a small stick, and she made sure not to disturb it, just in case she had to get back out this direction in a hurry. Because it would really be her luck to get locked in with no place to get out quick and potential murderers out to get her. She also sometimes had a flair for dramatics....

Laura made her way from the back to the pantry and kitchen, past the front desk, and entered the West Wing of the asylum where she and Kirsch had just a few nights ago. Even with the daylight coming through the dirty windows, it wasn’t enough to illuminate the building entirely. It was still fairly dark, but it was actually a calming soft glow. She hear a few whispers from down the hall, but her destination was the next floor up. Once she opened the door, it was nothing like she had ever experienced. Voices. Talking, whispering, and the occasional yelling. Sounds of a ball bouncing and children running, echoed in the stairwell. The door at the top of the stairs to the second floor was wide open, so she climbed up and stepped out into the hallway. She didn’t see anyone with her naked eye, but they were obviously there. The noise quieted down a lot once she stepped out into the open, them clearly seeing that she was there. If she sat down and focusrf, she could see them, but there were just so many, it would be a senses overload. And as she made her way down the hall to her destination, she couldn’t help but feel as though she was rudely walking through them as she got a spider web feeling on her arms and legs. She resisted the urge to wipe them off, knowing they were non-existent, and kept walking slowly, as not to scare anyone away, and hopefully making herself more approachable if anyone wanted to talk. Especially since she was here alone.

Looking in each room as she passed, she saw no one or anything different from the last time she was here. And it wasn’t until she got to the end of the hall that she noticed that compared to the other end of the hall, it was pretty quiet. Laura couldn’t help but be thankful. She already felt her energy had been depleted a little from the so many active spirits around her. As she approached the last cell, all other sounds seemed to become drowned out by silence. It was heavier here, with a sadness. Finally, she peeked into the padded cell and was not disappointed. There the girl sat, book her lap as she looked down at it, reading, but immediately Laura noticed a difference in her. She wasn’t as skinny as she was when they last spoke, nor was she slumped like she was exhausted. She just looked like a regular girl reading a book. You know, minus the whole ghostly glowy thing that was going on with her.

“ _Oh, goodie, it’s you_ .” The girl said, not even bothering to look up. “ _I thought I told you to leave and never come back_.”

Without missing a beat, Laura replied. “You told me to leave, but you didn’t say to not come back.”

“ _It was implied_.”

“Obviously not.”

“ _Well in that case: Leave and never come back_.”

Just what she needed, a smartass spirit.

“Oh, come on.” Laura rolled her eyes. “I’ll leave as soon as I get some answers.”

“ _You’re asking a lot for being the one barging into a place that isn’t yours_.”

Okay, maybe she had a point, but still.

Entering the cell, Laura stood in front of the girl and lowered her voice. “Last Friday me and my friends investigated a mansion not far from here, and I spoke to a girl who mentioned this asylum. We know something is going on. Something not right, and we want to help.”

Sighing and closing her book, the girl looked up at Laura with a glare. “ _I believe we’ve already covered this, and_ -”

“Yeah, yeah, I know...you say you can’t be helped. But what if you could be? If I knew what you were going through then that alone would help. There are books on these things nowadays, and people that know how to deal with dark things. There is always an answer.”

The girl stared at her for a few seconds before opening her mouth and closing it, like she wanting to say something but stopped herself. She looked out into the hall, then back at her.

“ _What exactly can you do, Little Miss Psychic_?”

“I told you...there are books-”

“ _Not that. You. What are your...powers_?”

“If you haven’t noticed, I speak to the dead.”

The girl took a long, deep breath and looked back into the hallway again then lowered her voice as well. “ _Can you...read people’s thoughts_?”

“Sometimes.” Laura replied slowly, not sure where this was going. “They have to be willing and open. And I have to concentrate.”

The girl nodded slowly, as if to tell her to do it right then. Laura would have been annoyed if there wasn’t this look in her eyes that made her nod back. Maybe she would get some answers from this girl after all. And so she sat down on the floor, crossed her legs and closed her eyes. As she had imagined, it was hard to weed through the hundreds of spirits that resided in the building, but once she focused on the girl in front of her, it got easier and easier. Not really what she had expected, but she was thankful nonetheless. Once she saw the girl clearly in her mind’s eye, Laura nodded again, signaling that she was ready.

“ _Can you hear me_?” The girl’s voice rang in her mind.

“Yes.” Laura replied in her head as well.

“ _Behind the asylum and past the woods is a cemetery. In the cemetery there is an small abandoned house that the groundskeeper used to stay in. Leave here, follow the Eastbound road to the first left turn-off. It’s a gravel road. Drive to the end of the path and and you’ll see the house. Meet me there in twenty minutes_.”

Laura opened her eyes.

“ _Well, that’s an interesting party trick, but I’m busy_ .” The girl said, her irritated tone back and louder than before. “ _I’m sure there are many other haunted places for you to test out your weird abilities, but here is not one of them. Now, I’m going to ask you one last time to leave, or else I may have to implement something more...persuasive_.”

Laura knew that the girl was acting now, but _why_ was the question. Why couldn’t any of this actually be easy?

“If that’s what you wish.” She replied, playing along, then standing up. “Thank you for your time.”

She didn’t rush right out of the building, not wanting to be conspicuous. She slowly made her way to the closest stairwell and left behind the still noisy and crowded hall and took the stairs down to the first floor. She peeked a few of the offices on her way back to the kitchen and out the back door. Looking up at the building, she briefly wondered whether or not to trust the girl’s instructions or if it was just a play to get her to leave. Deciding to trust her instincts, she made her way back to the car and drove away, watching her rearview mirror as the surrounding forest envelope the building as she got further and further down it’s long drive. Taking a left, she drove slowly, not wanting to miss the path or anything, but the first turn-off was an actual road. Thirty seconds later, she saw an old gravel road amidst tall, overgrown grass and turned onto it and continued at her leisurely pace. After about five minutes, the forest opened up and a graveyard came into view. It was quite large, the grounds were flat so she could see it all as she approached the one small building on the property. Closing her car door quietly, she stood there for a few moments and looked around. She didn’t feel any spirits back here. Looking at her watch, she noticed that ten minutes had already passed. She had planned on staying right where she was, but her curiosity, as always, got the better of her.

Laura walked up the short cement walkway to the house. Though the most apt word for it would be ‘shack’. It was made of dark wood that was now battered from time and weather. The door was in better condition, and the old doorknob wasn’t loose as she was expecting. It took a couple pushes, but she got it open by herself. It was a one-room home. The kitchen area covered the entire wall on the right, cabinets (the majority of which were open and empty), the counter, place for a sink, place for a fridge. Up against the left wall there was a ratty bed next to a nightstand that still held a rotary phone and a few pieces of paper, now caked in dust. And in the corner was probably the smallest closet that Laura had ever seen. It was more akin to a hole in the wall. And in front of her was a small sofa facing an old TV that looked like a 60’s style that stood on four wooden legs. Stepping inside, she left the front door open, letting in the nice Spring air. Taking another glance around, Laura noticed how impersonal the space is. She wondered if the groundskeeper that had lived here had taken all his small possessions and left the bigger things like the TV and sofa, or is this, besides his clothes that he most-likely took, all he had? Either way, it was just a thought that kept her mind busy while she waited. When she checked her watch again, it was the exact meeting time, but the girl was nowhere to be seen.

She wiped the arm of the sofa off a little before easing herself down onto it, so she could sit while she waited. But as every minute came and went, she started to doubt that the girl actually wanted to talk to her and actually had just wanted to get her to leave the building. Checking her phone, she saw that her Lit TA Danny had texted her asking if she was okay since she wasn’t in class, and LaFontaine had texted her asking her why she took the car. She had left a note, but didn’t explain why. She texted back LaF back first, saying she had something that she needed to do and would be back in a little while. Next she replied to Danny, saying that she had purposefully skipped because she had to do something, but asked if she could get that day's notes from her later on. Of course, Danny came through for her and said she would lend them to her next time she saw her. Laura felt a bit guilty asking a favor from the girl who she knows has a crush on her, but it wasn’t like she was leading her on. Laura had made it clear in the beginning that she just wanted to be friends. Even still, she felt like she was taking advantage of the situation. If it were any other TA, they would have probably told her that she shouldn’t have skipped if she wanted the notes. But Danny was different. She was nice. Even though she disapproved of Laura and her friend’s investigations, and frankly, treated her like a child at times.

“ _Why are people these days so enamored with those little devices_?” The girl said from the doorway.

Laura jumped and nearly lost her balance on the arm of the sofa. When she recovered, she looked at the time on her phone before putting it back in her pocket.

“Because we find it helpful.”

The girl looked skeptical as she stepped into the house. “ _What does it do, exactly_?”

“It’s a phone. You can call people. Or there is this thing called texting, which lets you message someone by typing what you want to say and sending it, and they can receive it instantly. You can also listen to music, play games, and take pictures with it.”

The girl stared at her for a few moments before finally replying in a flat tone. “ _Fascinating_.”

Laura knew the tone was sarcastic, but it seemed like the girl was interested as well, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

“I would imagine that it’s pretty mind blowing that such a small device could do so much, since you’re from a very different time in all…”

The girl looked like she got self-conscious all of a sudden and stiffened, crossing her arms over her chest before breaking eye contact.

Laura changed the subject. “You’re fifteen minutes late.”

The girl rolled her eyes and stepped off to the side near the kitchen. “ _Excuse my tardiness, but it’s hard to gauge the passage of time when you’re dead_.”

“Oh, right.”

She tended to forget that time passed a bit different for them.

“ _Look...I told you to come here because it’s not safe to speak in the asylum_.”

“How come?”

“ _You never know who could be listening. And who could tattle on you later…_ ”

“Okay, now isn’t the time to be vague or cryptic. Please, tell me what is going on.” She practically begged, but then she remembered something. “Wait.”

“ _What now_?”

“Sorry, but...I don’t know your name.”

The girl looked at her for a few seconds, like she was going to argue, but decided to oblige her simple request. “ _Mircalla von Karnstein_.”

She smiled. “Laura Hollis.”

Out of habit, Laura started to raise her hand so they could shake, but remembered, even if Mircalla reached out as well, her hand would have gone right through the girl’s.

“May I ask how old you are?”

“ _I thought you were so eager about finding out what’s going on_?”

“Yes, but...you can’t really blame me for being curious about you.”

Mircalla sighed. “Twenty-three.”

“How long were you here before you...uh…”

“ _Died? It’s fine, you can say the d-word, it doesn’t bother me. And five years_.”

“How come you were admitted?”

“ _Look, can we just get down to business_ ? _I don’t have all day to dilly dally_.”

“Right...sorry.”

“ _Where exactly would you like me to start_?”

“Well, at the beginning. Or...end, really. What happened after you died?”

Mircalla turned towards the window above the sink, looking outside. “ _At first I didn’t even know I had died. I was in The Hole...and I guess at some point I finally starved to death_.”

Laura cringed. “The Hole? What’s that?”

“ _A solitary cell in the basement. For when patients were_ ... _difficult_.”

Laura was about to ask how could they have let her starve, but Mircalla continued before she could.

 _“When I did realize it...I...didn’t want to leave. At that time, I didn’t even know if I_ could _leave_.”

“Why didn’t you want to leave?”

Mircalla continued to avoid eye contact, but Laura didn't push. She patiently waited and listened to the girl's story.

“ _A couple reasons. But one was that I didn’t want to leave my friends. I couldn’t communicate with them, but I could keep an eye on them. Over time, I learned how to move things. I messed with the guards, orderlies, and doctors when I could. Revenge for what they did to me. To all of us, I guess. And then when people would die, they’d see me, and finally I wasn’t alone anymore. We were together. But it wasn’t just the sane people who didn’t belong in the asylum that died. The insane did too and they didn’t leave either, but not by choice. They just didn’t understand that they could go somewhere else. But the years went by, and I saw the treatments changing. New doctors replaced the old and applied more humane methods that actually seemed to be helping, so I stopped enacting revenge_.”

“But you still stayed.”

Mircalla nodded. “ _I’ll admit, I was afraid to move on. So myself and the others kind of became the guardians of this place, looking out for the patients, and of the dead insane that didn’t understand what was going on. But when we got the news that the hospital was closing, I think most of us were realizing that we couldn’t stay here for forever. We accepted that we had to let go and move on..._ ”

“What changed?”

“ _The hospital closed, and that night we had all planned to get everyone congregated...so we could hopefully all go together. But then_ she _showed up_.”

“Lilita Morgan?”

“ _She told us to call her Maman_. ”

“What did she do?”

“ _Told us that she’d waited a long time for the asylum to close, and that we weren’t going anywhere. She told us she put a spell on the land to keep us here. Naturally, some of us tried to leave anyway, but we couldn’t. I hadn’t left the property at all after death, so I don’t know if I could have gone anywhere then, but we definitely couldn’t go anywhere after she showed up. We can’t cross the property lines. The far side of the cemetery is as far as we can go. Though no one really comes over this far anyway. We all have our own spots. Mine is that padded room, but sometimes I go on walks through the woods. Thankfully, or else some would think me being gone right now was suspect_.”

“So...she’s keeping you here by a spell?”

“ _I don’t know if it’s sorcery or not, but whatever she did trapped us here_.”

“Okay…” Laura thought, at least she knew a little more now than she did before. “Does she... _do_ anything to you, or are you like, left to your own devices?”

“ _Remember your last visit, how you said I looked tired_?”

“Yeah, and you said you weren’t always tired. Like now...you look so much better.”

“ _That’s because I’m fully rested right now and have quite a bit of energy, but every evening Maman comes and drains the energy we’ve all built up. And when we’re weak, we can’t really do much. The kids bounce back a bit faster, but it’s really no use when can’t do much anyway._ ”

“What does she do with all that energy?”

“ _I don’t know if she really does anything with it, other than make sure she’s always stronger than us. She loves having that power. We made an attempt years ago to try and stop her...but since you and I are talking right now, you can infer that we were unsuccessful._ ”

“What happened after you tried to take her on?”

“ _She just laughed, saying it was cute that we thought we could stop her. Then she took so much of my energy that I felt like I was almost drained out of existence. It hurt like nothing I knew in life or death. It took me nearly a week to recover. And it was enough to scare us all into not trying anything again. Exactly what she wanted._ ”

“I’m sorry this happened to all of you.” Laura replied after a few moments of silence, not knowing what else to say.

“ _It’s not your fault_.”

Laura could understand why Mircalla had been so reluctant to talk with her. One person had already come into their space and took over, that in itself would make one skeptical about anyone else who came along. Though by now, she feels that Mircalla knows she isn’t here to cause trouble...only to help. And the girl was risking being punished by just _talking_ to her. That was some major trust for her to be putting in a stranger. Laura didn’t even want to think about what would happen if they were found out. Would the same punishment Mircalla had gotten years ago be the same? Or something worse? But that thought brought up an entirely new question.

“Can I ask you something else?”

Mircalla turned to face her again. “ _Well you’re already on a roll, why stop now_?”

“Um...aren’t you getting tired? Using all that energy so I can see you.”

“ _The only energy I’m using right now is my brainpower for talking to you_.”

“You aren’t _trying_ to be seen?”

“ _Isn’t that basically what I just said_?”

“How can I see you, then?”

“ _Aren’t you supposed to be psychic_?”

“Well, yes, but...I usually have to sit and focus to see people. I’m not trying to see you either.”

Mircalla shrugged. “ _I don’t know what to tell you then, Cutie_.”

Laura tried not to react to the pet name, but her heart had other plans. An attractive girl called her cute. She was only human, but that couldn’t get in the way now. This may be her only chance to talk to Mircalla after all.

“So...as far as you know, she’s just a spirit with a lot of power?”

“ _I don’t know what she is, but I do know she’s certainly not someone you want to deal with.”_ Her voice was low and serious now. “ _And now you know what I know._ ”

“Thank you for telling me. Any information helps.”

“ _Now...what do_ you _know_?”

“Well, I mentioned that we had been to a mansion before and that’s where we first heard about the asylum. My friend LaFontaine went to the library and dug up some history on that mansion, and it turns out that it’s named after Lilita Morgan. She had been a Headmaster for a school that sat on the property of the mansion, but the school burned down in 1895, with her, a few teachers, and a bunch of kids in it. Over the years, the mansion had a reputation for being haunted, which now we know was them. The two spirits I talked to there didn’t say much, but the girl who mentioned the asylum also referred to who they were afraid of as Maman.”

Mircalla didn’t look surprised, but sad. “ _Well I figured she had to be doing something nefarious when she wasn’t here sucking us dry_.”

“And we don’t even know if there are more places. It doesn’t sound like she stays long when she visits here or the mansion, so she must have a home-base, so to speak.”

“ _If you really are willing to do the seemingly impossible task of helping us...then I think that’s your next step_.”


	5. Chapter 5

“You went _where_?!” Perry nearly screeched.

“You heard me.” Laura sighed and flopped down on the couch in their downstairs living room.

“While that could have been potentially dangerous, I have to commend you for your bravery.” LaF said, sitting in the old brown leather chair in the corner.

“LaFontaine! Don’t encourage her, she could have been seriously injured!”

“But I wasn’t.” Laura argued. “Besides, I got some new info from the girl I saw last time.”

“The one from the isolation cell?” Kirsch asked, joining them, leaning against the arm of the couch that Laura’s feet were pointing to.

“Yeah.”

And so she told them everything that had transpired once she decided to skip class and go out on her own. LaF took some notes, but other than that, everyone else was listening quietly to what she had to say.

“At least we know it’s the same spirit at both locations for sure now.” LaF said, still scribbling the last bit of info in their notebook.

“If she even still is a spirit. What if she’s turned into an evil... _entity_?” Kirsch asked.

“I think the real question is...how can you tell?” Perry countered, still tense.

“At this point I would put my money on evil entity.” Laura replied, rubbing her eyes. “But I think there may only be one way to find out…”

It wasn’t as if she wanted to do it, but they needed to know what they were up against. It took some convincing, but LaFontaine and Kirsch agreed, but Perry, as expected, was the most reluctant. They needed to go back to the mansion or asylum one day before nightfall, and be there when Lilita Morgan showed up. Laura knew it was probably not the best idea, but she didn’t know how else they would see what exactly they were up against. So, at some point over the weekend, they would go see the woman who has made so many souls suffer. Laura just hoped that they wouldn’t be the next to fall victim to her.

**//**

“So are you going to tell me why you skipped class yesterday?”

Laura looked up from her homework to find Danny, her friend and Lit TA sliding into the seat across from her, smirking playfully. For a few seconds, she debated on not telling the redhead the truth, but she’s never been a good liar anyway.

“You wouldn’t like it.” Laura replied simply, giving Danny and out.

‘Wouldn’t like it’ was probably an understatement, so she mentally crossed her fingers that the subject would be changed. She was never that lucky though.

“Oh, I don’t like the sound of that.” The tall redhead’s face fell and narrowed her eyes. “What’d you do?”

She restrained herself enough not to roll her eyes.

“I assume Kirsch told you about the asylum we’re investigating?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, I went out there-”

“Alone?” Danny interrupted, voice already hardening.

Laura sighed her answer. “Yes.”

“Do you know how dangerous that is-”

“Yes. And I’m a big girl who can take care of myself.”

“I know you are, but why couldn’t you just wait a couple more hours for someone to go with you?”

“I’ll admit...I wasn’t really thinking. But I was being pulled there, and nothing else seemed to matter other than getting there and getting answers.”

“And did you? Was it worth it?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact. I got some new information from a rather grumpy spirit girl.”

Danny nodded slowly, obviously not knowing what to say to that. Laura knew too well that the redhead didn’t really believe in her ability, or the paranormal in general. It bugged Laura, but everyone had a right to their opinion, she supposed. It was just disappointing because Danny was her friend, and what did it mean if a friend didn’t believe in what she could do? If it weren’t for the validation through research that her, Kirsch, LaF and Perry do for their investigations...Laura would probably think she _was_ actually crazy. Of course, Danny was never around to witness her actually using her gift. In fact, she refused to participate in anything paranormal, which is why she didn’t see too much of her these days, since that’s mainly what the group did in their free time. Laura guessed that the paranormal kind of scared her and she just didn’t want to admit that was the reason. It was something that Laura had witnessed pretty much her whole life.  A good amount of skeptics would pick someone like her apart, but as soon as one would offer to prove it to them, they would find a way out of the situation. Maybe because they didn’t want to admit to being wrong, or it was the fear that it would make them question their religious beliefs. Maybe a combination of both. Everyone was different. But she didn’t know why Danny was so closed off to the idea, and the redhead never gave a reason.

“I brought your notes from class.” Danny finally said, pulling them out of her backpack and handing them across the table to Laura.

“Thanks.”

The girl nodded. “I gotta go, but I’ll see you next class?”

“Yeah.”

And with that, Danny got up and left, leaving Laura feeling like a terrible friend. Why did this _one_ thing always have to come in between them? Sometimes she wondered what it would be like if Danny were a believer. Or at least just believed _her_. That she didn’t give her that exasperated look every time something paranormal came up in conversation. Laura wondered if things had been different, what their relationship would be like. Despite Danny being overprotective...if she believed in Laura’s ability, or Hell, if Laura wasn’t psychic at all, they probably would have dated. Maybe it would have worked out, maybe not. But this was reality, and they were just too different. And besides, even though college is a time for exploring dating life, she spent much more time exploring haunted locations. Truthfully, she hadn’t had the urge to try and go find dates either. No one had caught her attention long enough for her to consider it. These days, spirits held her attention more than anything, even schoolwork. And as the years had gone by, she seriously considered the fact that maybe being a journalist wasn’t exactly what she was meant to be doing. When LaFontaine had convinced her to come out investigating with them and using her gift, that’s when she finally felt like she was doing what she was meant to. However, being a psychic wasn’t gonna pay her bills. Sure, some people went that route, but it wasn’t for her. She needed a college-earned job that would provide for her in the long run. Investigating would have to stay an extracurricular activity.

**//**

The weekend finally officially started when her last class of the week ended, only after it went by slower than it ever had before. That Friday when her last class let out, she barely contained herself enough to not race back to the house. She dumped her backpack on her bed, took a shower and changed while she waited for the gang to get out of their classes as well. They all, and met up downstairs about an hour later. LaFontaine had come in last, telling them that they had an idea about how to find more out about Lilita Morgan. They figured that since the schoolhouse and the mansion were closer to the next town over, that that was most likely where she had lived when she was alive. LaFontaine proposed that them and Perry go to that town’s library to dig through their archives while Kirsch and Laura went back to either the asylum or mansion. Laura knew that she wanted to go back to the asylum, having thought about Mircalla since she’d left her in that cemetery a few days ago, but she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d get more answers from the kids at the mansion. They seemed to know more than Mircalla or the others at the asylum.

After LaF and Perry left, taking the car, Kirsch borrowed one of his football buddies’ cars and they left for the mansion, the place where her gut was telling her that they would get some more info. While she knew it was the right decision, she still wanted to go back to the asylum and talk to Mircalla again, but that would have to wait. A little while later, her and Kirsch were walking into the mansion, flashlight beams leading the way. This was his first time here, so she gave him a chance to look around. He took his time looking at the remaining knick knacks on the shelves, and vintage furniture. He plopped down on the best looking chair in the parlor, but quickly regretted it when he found himself in the middle of a coughing fit.

“Dusty…” He said, pointing out the obvious.

Laura couldn’t help but give him a little chuckle as she shook her head. Kirsch was...one of a kind. She watched as he leaned forward and put his K2 Meter on the floor in front of him, before she told him that she was going to head up to the second floor. He saluted her before he dug into his pocket to retrieve his digital recorder. Making her way down the hall and up the stairs, she could feel eyes on her. She hoped that she could talk to the boy she had last time, Joseph, or maybe the girl who had tipped her off about the asylum. This was the first time that she was upstairs at night by herself, but it comforted her that Kirsch wasn’t too far away. She turned right at the top of the stairs and went down the hall where the door slams had come from last time she was here. All of the doors were shut, which made her a little nervous to open them. Remembering that Perry had seen a light in the far bedroom, she chose that one to sit and attempt to communicate. She turned the old door handle, it letting out a loud squeak in the quiet house. Pushing open the door, it creaked, causing a tingle to go up her spine. Stepping in, she walked over to the small bed, poking at it with her flashlight to scare off any lingering critters, before she sat down on the edge. Laura got out her recorder as well, turned it on and set it down on the nightstand that has seen better days. Turning her flashlight off, she clasped it between both of her hands before closing her eyes, focusing on her surroundings.

“My name is Laura...I was here last week, and I hoping to talk to someone again this time. So if anyone has something to say, now is the time.” She waited and kept tuning into the energy of the location, but after a minute passed with no answer, she spoke up again. “There is a guy downstairs. He’s my friend. His name is Kirsch, and he’s really nice. If you don’t feel like talking to me, he has a device on the floor in front of him that you can use. It won’t hurt you, I promise. It just lights up if you get close to it. It’s a good way to communicate.”

It was then that Laura heard a creak of the floorboard out in the hall. Someone was coming closer to her. In her mind’s eye she focused on the doorway, and soon a figure appeared. The silhouette of a girl. She peeked in cautiously before stepping further into the doorway.

“ _I didn’t think you’d be back_ .” She said, her silhouette pulsed as features and colors emerged. “ _No one ever comes back…”_

It was the girl that had slipped the information about the asylum.

“I told you I was here to help. That’s why I’m back. To get more answers.”

“ _And what if we don’t have the information you seek?_ ”

“Well, we won’t know that until we’ve talked. Besides, you already helped.”

She frowned. “ _How so?_ ”

“Right before I left last time, you said something about an asylum. So I looked into it, found it, and myself and my friends went there.”

“ _So you know they’re trapped too_.” The girl stated.

“Yes.” Laura nodded. “I know it may be hard, but, can you tell me what all you know about why you’re here?”

The girl hesitated, then came into the room, but kept her distance from Laura. “ _There was a fire. Not too far from here. It all happened so fast. Before we knew it, flames were all around us, trapping us in the classroom. I didn’t feel anything...I think I fainted. When I woke up, I was laying in the ruins of the school, everyone seemed to be okay. But we soon realized that something wasn’t right anymore. When the firemen finally came and put out the rest of the flames, they didn’t acknowledge us. That’s when we really knew. We didn’t really know what to do, then. There were a few teachers with us though. They told us to ask for the Light of God to show us the way home. Most of us were still confused and didn’t want to go anywhere just yet. Then they disappeared, a few of the smallest children went with them. Almost as soon as they were gone, the sky turned dark and_ she _showed up_.”

“Maman?”

The girl nodded, then stepped closer, crossing her arms over her chest and sitting down on the other end of the bed. “ _She told us everything was going to be okay, and that she would explain everything. So we followed her here. It wasn’t long before some of the older children wanted to leave, but when they tried, they couldn’t. We can’t go past the property line_.”

“Do you know why?”

“ _Sometime later, Maman told us she had done an enchantment of some sort to keep us here. I never believed real magic existed, but it does. I’ve seen it now. And we can’t leave here. We’ve tried and it does no good_ .” A mix of desperation and sadness filled her voice, then she looked over at Laura. “ _Do you truly think that you can help us_?”

“Yes.” Laura replied, opening her eyes but saw nothing in the pitch black. However, she knew the girl was still there. “A lot has changed in the time since you died. There are an endless amount of books on the paranormal, and experts around the world who know how to deal with dark beings.”

“ _Maybe there is hope after all_ …”

Light footsteps padded down the hall, followed by a few whispers.

“ _You don’t have to hide.”_ The girl said addressing the spirits out in the hallway. _“This is Laura...she’s here to help_.”

“I have to ask, does anyone know where Maman goes when she’s not here?”

“ _The asylum, of course, and her home. She’s never mentioned anywhere else_.”

“Do you know where her home is?”

“ _North of here. That’s all I know. I’ve seen her fly that way many times_.”

“Fly?

“ _When she travels, she materializes into the form of a large flock of crows or ravens. So yes, she flys_.”

“Oh.” Was all Laura could reply with, not having expected that little tidbit of information.

“ _She’s scary._ ” A different, younger voice said from the hallway.

Laura could tell it was a very young boy, even if he didn’t pronounce his r like a w, the sound of his voice gave it away. Closing her eyes again, she concentrated on the door before replying.

“I bet she is...”

A few seconds later, she could see his outline, small and fragile. It broke her heart that these kids had been made to suffer like this.

“ _Laura_?” The girl asked, hesitantly.

“Yes?”

“ _What year is it_?”

For a moment she debated on not telling the girl the truth, but quickly realized that was probably the worst thing she could do to them, they had already been lied to and taken advantage of. This would be the start of that changing.

“It’s twenty-sixteen.”

Everything and everyone went silent again for a few moments before the girl let out a breath. Laura focused in on her, and she could see her counting on her fingers.

“ _So that means we’ve been here...a hundred and twenty-one years_?”

Laura quickly did the math in her head, and yeah, that was correct. The quiet was shattered a few seconds later by what sounded like a group of kids out in the hall talking to each other. She only heard bits and pieces of what was being said.

“... _that can’t be right_ …”

“... _she has no reason to lie to us_ …”

“... _has it really been that long_?...”

“... _that explains her clothes_ …”

And so on. As they kept talking over one another, the girl next to her spoke again.

“ _It’s strange. Time. Some days it feels like we’ve been here for an eternity. Other days it doesn’t feel like that long at all._

Laura didn’t know what to say. Frankly, who the Hell would in this situation? Not much could be said at this point to make them feel better. But actions were louder than words, and it was action that she was going to take. Soon, they would find Lilita Morgan’s home and come up with a plan from there. Laura already had an idea of what they may have to do, but she still had some internet research ahead of her. Taking her out of her thoughts, the girl gotup from beside her and walked over to the window and looked up at the sky.

“ _You should leave before she gets here_ .” She said, voice flat, like she was still lost in her own head. “ _It won’t be long now_.”

Laura nodded then opened her eyes again, an empty room, an empty doorway, though she could still hear their voices. The kids in the hall had at least calmed down a little, and with the mention of Maman coming soon, they moved dispersed in their own directions. She heard footsteps going into the room across from the one she’s in, and down the stairs.

“We’re going to figure this out.” She said, turning back to the girl who she felt was still at the window. “I don’t know when we’ll be back, but I promise you that when we return, we’ll have a plan.”

When the girl didn’t say anything else, Laura took that as her cue to go. She picked up both her flashlight and recorder before standing up and making her way back down to where she’d come from. Kirsch was still where she had left him, though now he was intently staring at the K2 Meter on the floor until he noticed her come into the room.

“Hey.” He greeted. “You were up there a while. Did you get anything?”

She nodded before heading towards the front door. “Yeah, actually. I’ll tell you on the way home.”

“Oh, we’re leaving already?”

“Not quite. Just...come with me.” She gestured.

“Okay.” He fumbled getting the digital recorder and K2 off of the floor. “Uh...thank you, spirits for having us and communicating. We really appreciate it.” He then stopped recording, shoved it into his pocket, and followed her outside. “Wanna let me in on what we’re doing, Little Nerd?”

Laura got into the driver’s side and started up the car. She barely waited for Kirsch to get seated before she backed it down the driveway a little too fast for Kirsch’s liking.

“Careful, L, remember, this is my friend’s car….”

Once they were a good distance away, Laura found a spot where she could turn off of the driveway and into the woods where there was a pretty clear spot. Once she determined that the car would be out of view from the mansion, she turned the car off and got out. Opening the back door, she opened a black case that held one of their night-vision cameras and took it out, then made her way around the car and back towards the mansion.

“This seems a bit…” Kirsch searched for the word he wanted. “Unproductive?”

“Actually, it’s very productive.” She replied, finding a good spot to hide behind a rather large bush.

She crouched down then, turning the camera on and focusing it on the mansion. Kirsch settled down next to her, still confused, so once she steadied herself, getting the right angle she wanted, she hit record, not wanting to miss it.

“The girl who I was speaking to said that it was almost time for Lilita Morgan to show up, so I wanted to capture it on film.” She explained in a whisper.

“But we rarely get ghosts on camera…” He whispered back.

“She isn’t just gonna be some mist or shadow, Kirsch.”

He looked at her with worried eyes now. “And what is she going to look like?”

Just then, as if on cue, she heard the caw of a bird. Then another. And another. And more, until it sounded like a hundred all squawking at once. She looked down at the viewfinder on the camera to make sure that everything was still in the shot, which it was, and saw everything grow darker. The sun was setting now, the the sky a pink-orange. But a darkness crept over it, making it lose it’s color, turning it gray. It was only then that they saw it. A huge flock of black birds, crows, swirling around in the sky before diving straight for the mansion. Laura wondered if they would magically go right through the walls of the building, but no, they swooped down and flew straight into the chimney. How did so many birds fit through there, she didn’t know. But after the cawing and flapping of feathers disappeared, she found herself letting out a breath she hadn’t realized that she was holding.

“Holy shit.” Kirsch whispered, looking like his mind had just been blown.

“Uh, yeah.” Laura said, still staring at the house in awe.

LaFontaine is gonna flip when she shows them this!

“Do you hear that?” Kirsch asked.

Laura was about to reply that she didn’t, but then she heard it too. A low rumble. Soon the ground started to vibrate under them, and a pulsing light started to emanate from the house.

“What the heck is going on in there?” He asked, his blue eyes wide and worried.

“She’s taking their energy.” Laura answered.

The light got brighter and brighter with each pulse, until it got to the point where Laura had to squint. Then it just...stopped. The rumble faded. The light was gone. Like nothing had happened. But Laura and Kirsch knew better. They were waiting for the woman to make her exit. Seconds ticked by, and the silence became almost deafening. Laura’s feet were starting to fall asleep under her weight, and she could see Kirsch was not comfortable in his current position either. All of a sudden, startling both of them, the crows shot out of the chimney, flying straight up into the air and waited in a tornado of birds for all of them to congregate in one large cluster before taking off in the direction of the asylum. Laura and Kirsch watched them until they couldn’t see it anymore because of the thick trees, and finally stood up. They didn’t say anything to each other as they walked back to the car, still stunned at what they witnessed. Kirsch seemed to be more affected by it than she did, so she got back in the driver’s seat and took them home. By the time they got back to the house, Kirsch had gotten back to his normal self for the most part, and was eager for LaF and Perry to return as well so they could show them the footage. In the meantime, Laura loaded the video file onto the computer along with the audio from her and Kirsch’s digital recorders. By the time she was starting to go over hers, the front door opened and the two redheads entered, engaged in their own conversation. LaFontaine clearly more excited than Perry.

“Oh good, you guys are here.” They said, upon seeing both of them in the office.

LaF fast-walked from the front door to the office, all the way struggling to pull things out of their messenger bag. It would have been comical if Laura wasn’t so interested in what they found. Perry trailed behind them slowly after she took off her jacket and hung it up on the coat rack by the door.

“LaFontaine, please. There is no need to rush, the papers aren’t going anywhere.”

Ignoring their fiancé, they finished pulling a small stack of papers out before discarding the bag on the floor and sitting on the sofa.

“So I take it you found something.” Laura stated sarcastically.

“We didn’t just find _something_ , we found _it_.”

It took her a second to take that in. “The house?”

She hadn’t expected for it to be found this fast.

“Yup.”

“LaF, you’re a miracle worker.” Kirsch said, impressed.

They smirked. “While I’d love to take the credit for this, the library deserves all the props."

Perry nodded in agreement as she came into the office. “They have a very impressive archive for a small town. Very well organized, which is why we found all of this so fast.”

“What about you guys? Come up with anything new?” LaF asked.

“Oh, boy, did we!” Kirsch answered with a big smile.

Laura smirked. “Prepare to have your mind blown.”

Swiveling around in the computer chair, she pressed play on the video and let it speak for itself.


	6. Chapter 6

After the video that Laura had taken ended, Perry nearly fainted and had to take a seat on the sofa, while LaFontaine had stared at the screen with a mix of interest and terror. Kirsch went to go get Perry something to drink, but LaF recovered quickly, only to play the video back a few more times, playing with the contrast to get a better picture. When Kirsch returned, he handed a cold bottle of water to Perry, who thanked him with as much of a convincing smile as she could muster, even though she was clearly still shaken up. Laura understood, it was pretty scary, but she wasn’t going to let it get the best of her, not with so much left to do.

“Maybe we should have started with what you two found…” Laura said, breaking the silence.

LaFontaine blinked a few times before sitting up straight. “Oh, right!”

They turned and picked up their disheveled papers and clumped them together before straightening them out. “So. We went through the library’s archive after we waited like, thirty minutes to get special permission so we could access it. It took some digging and a lot of coughing up dust, but Per finally found what we were looking for.”

Laura took the papers that LaFontaine held out for her. Skimming over the brief life and times of Lilita Morgan, as told through newspaper articles. It wasn’t a lot, so she flipped through the pages fairly quickly. The last page was different from the others though. It contained one large image of a house, and what she assumed was the address was written in LaFontaine’s handwriting at the bottom.

“I still can’t believe you found it so fast.” Laura said, relieved.

“And not just on paper. When I found the address we went looking for it in person and found it. It’s North of the mansion, sitting on the side of a hill. Not too far from where the schoolhouse was, actually.”

“Awesome!” Kirsch exclaimed.

“That’s not the only thing we found though.” LaFontaine’s demeanor changed slightly.

“What?” Laura asked, preparing for bad news.

“Well, I don’t know if this is connected to anything or not, but while skimming through the obituaries, I found some... _weird_...occurances.”

“How weird are we talking?”

“Pretty darn.” LaF said, holding up the other half of the papers in their hand. “Not too long after Lilita Morgan died, people in the town reported having strange experiences in their homes. However, that’s not to weirdest part. A few months after someone would complain of activity tormenting them, they would go crazy and end up dead soon thereafter.”

Laura frowned. “Cause of death?”

“The coroner couldn’t come up with a scientific explanation.” LaFontaine then flipped a few pages, then pointed at a small article. "He literally said that it was like the life had just been sucked right out of them. And what does Lilita Morgan do to the trapped spirits?”

“Sucks their energy from them.” Laura answered grimly. “How many?”

“I didn’t research all the way up to present day because I thought that finding the house was more important, so I only checked in a twenty year time-span. And in that time, eight people a year died of unknown causes matching the description of our current suspect does.”

“If it is her, then what’s the point?”

“Sometimes there isn’t a point to anything. Evil people just do evil things because they like it.”

Laura knew that LaFontaine had a point, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the story that they just weren’t privy to.

“Now what do we do?” Kirsch asked, apprehensive.

Laura took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Now...I do some research on what can be done to get Lilita Morgan the Hell out of here, and contact anyone that could help us do so.”

“Just judging by the footage, I don’t think it will be as easy as we were hoping.” LaFontaine said, slightly deflated now. “Want me to go back to the library to continue researching the mysterious deaths and see if they actually do continue to present day?”

“Yeah, it couldn’t hurt. Though I think we all are in agreement that it’s too much of a coincidence that these deaths only start happening after Lilita Morgan died.”

They all nodded.

“This isn’t gonna be a cakewalk.” Laura continued. “But I have faith that we can do it. I even have an idea, but I want to do some research first, and make some calls. In the meantime...you guys can carry on as you usually do. Go to classes, do homework, play sports. You know, normal college kid stuff.”

“Sounds boring.” Kirsch said. “Are you sure you don’t want help?”

Laura shook her head. “Nah, I got this. But if I do end up needing any help, I won’t hesitate to let you know.”

**//**

The next two days, Laura dedicated all of her spare time to researching online and calling relatively close paranormal groups, as well as attempting to get ahold of experts in the paranormal field. She hadn’t expected to hear back from anyone for a few weeks, knowing they probably gets hundreds of calls a day asking for help, so she tried to bide her time and not get too anxious about not hearing back. She wondered if she sounded crazy, thinking about how her story may come off as too weird to be true. Classes didn’t help take her mind off of it either. Specifically, she still felt drawn back to the asylum. To Mircalla, particularly. She wanted to talk to her again. Nothing was really stopping her from going back, but she didn’t know if she could justify driving an hour there an an hour back just to tell the girl what had happened since they last spoke. But she was antsy and like last time, didn’t feel like she could put it off until the weekend. So once she was dismissed from her last class of the day, she hurried home, making sure to look at the calendar on the fridge to see that no one needed the car, and took off after grabbing her camera and leaving a short note. It only took forty-five minutes to get there, because she may have just been a little heavy-footed on the gas pedal, but hey, there was next to no traffic and she was being perfectly safe.

When she got close to the turn-off to the asylum’s driveway, she honked the horn, keeping her hand on it for a few seconds, then let go. It was something Mircalla told her to do so she knew when Laura needed to talk, so they could meet back in the cemetery. Though it was probably only good for this one time. If she did it every single time they needed to talk, someone would get suspicious and rat Mircalla out, and that definitely was not something that Laura wanted. Heck, she was risking the girl’s safety by doing it this time. She hated that all of this had to be so difficult. Turning the car around, she headed back towards to way she came, and turned into the road that lead to the cemetery a few minutes later. The gravel crunched loudly under the tires as she drove up to the tiny groundskeeper’s house. Taking a look around as she got out, she saw no one, so she figured she beat Mircalla here and would have to wait for a few minutes. She followed the path up to the door and opened it, only to be surprised to see the girl leaning against the back of the sofa, waiting.

“Oh!” Laura yelped, startled, putting her hand over her heart. “You’re already here.”

“ _Astute observation, Cutie_ .” Mircalla said, straightening up and walking closer to her. “ _I was already out for a walk when I heard your signal_.”

“Ah, well, uh, good afternoon.”

The girl rolled her eyes. “ _We can skip the pleasantries. To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence today_?”

“Well, I have an update on our investigation.”

Mircalla raised an eyebrow as if she was surprised, then nodded and gestured for Laura to take a seat on the sofa. She let the door close behind her and looked at the piece of furniture cautiously before deciding on sitting on it’s arm like last time.

“So, we are a hundred percent sure that Lilita Morgan, or “Maman”, is the same entity holding you all here and the kids at the mansion. As if we really had any doubts before, but still. Also!” Laura took the camera out of her pocket and turned it on, opening the viewfinder and situating herself next to Mircalla to show her. “This look familiar?” She asked before hitting play, showing the crows stuffing themselves down the chimney of the mansion.

“ _Yes. That’s how she comes and goes_ .” Mircalla confirmed before frowning and pointing to the camera. “ _What is this_?”

“It’s a video camera.”

“ _I’ve never seen one so...small_.”

“Oh, yeah, with the advancements in technology, everything got smaller and smaller so it would be easier to carry around.”

Mircalla nodded slowly, taking in the information. Laura’s lips switched, wanting to smile. Mircalla was adorable when she wasn’t being irritating. Realizing her thoughts were getting...off topic, she cleared her throat and moved back to her spot on the arm of the chair.

“Right now I’m doing some research on ways to go about getting rid of her, and I’ve contacted some experts in the field to try and get their opinions. So progress is being made, albeit slowly.”

“ _To be honest, I thought you would have given up by now_.”

“I recall telling you multiple times that I’d do whatever it takes to help you. I mean it. And I’ve already come this far, why give up now?”

Mircalla looked at her with an unreadable expression. “ _Aren’t you scared after what you’ve seen already_ ? _And what you know she can do_?”

“I...am nervous. But not scared.”

“ _I don’t know whether to be impressed with your bravery or in awe of your naiveté_.”

Laura huffed, she hated not being taken seriously, however, this situation was a bit more unique than any other. Maybe she was naive to think that her and her friends could take down a bad spirit that’s been holding other captive for decades, but if they didn’t do it, no one else would.

“It would be nice for you to have a little faith in us.”

“ _Faith._ ” Mircalla scoffed at the word. _“Sorry, Cupcake, but I lost all faith in humanity when they locked me up in here_.”

Laura fidgeted with the camera that was still in her hand. “I guess I don’t really blame you for that. But, hopefully I can change your mind. Some people are worth believing in. I believe in me and my friends. And I believe in you.”

The girl’s eyes narrowed. “ _And what can I do? Our first and only attempt to get out of here failed miserably_.”

“At least you _tried_. That’s what’s important. And maybe you just needed a little help.”

Mircalla’s expression softened then, and she lowered her head and gave a lazy shrug. “ _Maybe_.”

Laura so desperately wanted the girl to believe that change was possible. That she didn’t have to endure an eternity of torture. That there was hope. But she figured that showing her rather than trying to convince her would be the most effective. Until then, they had to keep working together to get answers and come up with a plan.

“There is one last thing, before I go.”

Mircalla nodded for her to continue.

“While LaFontaine was at the library, they came across something that raised concerns. Ever since Lilita Morgan died, people in the town have been experiencing what sounds like spirit activity. Though, it’s not like a voice here or a book falling over there, but stuff that literally makes them go crazy, and then they end up dead, the cause of death unknown, but the coroner described it as their life had just been sucked out of them.”

“ _Damn it_.” The girl swore. “ _That’s what she’s been doing_.”

“What?”

“ _I didn’t even think to tell you this before, but...ever since Maman came, every couple months a new spirit will appear and be trapped here along with us. At first we tried getting answers, but they weren’t quite right. In fact, they seemed like they actually did belong in an asylum. They would talk to themselves, be very skittish, sometimes lash out and scare the relatively sane people here. Eventually those who came found their home in the basement with the others like them. There’s hundreds of them down there. They don’t really come up here and bother anyone, but it’s always been a question of why they were brought here and where they came from_.”

Laura took in this new information. In a way, it kind of made sense now.

“LaFontaine thinks that maybe there is no real reason other than it’s more people to have control over, and more people to get energy from.”

“ _Just one big torture cycle. Wonderful_.”

**//**

“At least you didn’t skip class this time.” LaFontaine said later when Laura arrived.

Perry guided her into her stool at the counter before putting a snack bowl of sliced cantaloupe in front of her.

“Sorry I took the car spontaneously. Agai. I’ve just had this itch to go back, so I finally just had to go.”

LaF swallowed their forkful of fruit before replying. “I understand. Crushes on spirits and all.”

Laura choked on her fruit, and Perry patted her back, urging her to be more careful.

“I...I _don’t_ have a crush.”

“Laura.” LaF turned to face her fully. “Ever since you met that girl she’s eighty percent of what you talk about.”

“That’s because she’s the only one at the asylum that will actually talk to me, and has information. Her and I have an open line of communication. An exchange of intel, that’s it. An agreement that works out for the both of us.”

“An ‘ _exchange_ ’ of information, huh?.” They chuckled. “If that’s what the kids call it these days…”

“Oh, LaFontaine, leave her alone.” Perry said, gently hitting LaF on the arm with the back of her hand.

“Oh, come on, Per, you know it’s true. She spend like five whole minutes describing to us what Mircalla looked like, and ever since she met her she daydreams a lot more than before, so gee, I wonder who she could be thinking about…?”

Laura really had no defense for either of those. Yeah, she went into detail about Mircalla’s appearance. How could she not? She was like nothing she’d ever seen before. And sure, she daydreams, but it’s mostly about _helping_ Mircalla, not about the...melted chocolate color of her eyes. No, what LaFontaine was insinuating was just plain wrong.

“I’m not going to dignify that with a response.” Laura said, poking her fork into the orange fruit a little too hard.

“Yeah, because you know I’m right.” LaF said under their breath before turning back to face the counter.

Laura rolled her eyes and spoke with her mouth full. “You suck.”

She then picked up her bowl and took it into the office, where Kirsch was sitting at his computer.

“Anybody get back to you yet?” He asked, referring to the experts she had contacted.

She shook her head. “Nope.”

Groaning, she flopped onto the sofa and continued eating her cantaloupe.

“I couldn’t help but overhear that you went to see Mircalla. Find out anything new?” He swiveled his chair around to face her, scratching the back of his head.

“Other than all the people who died under mysterious life-sucking circumstances seem to have been herded over to the asylum for even more soul sucking?”

“I...really?”

“Seems so. It was a surprise to say the least. I mainly just went to update her on what we are doing so she didn’t think I forgot about her.” She said, then quickly corrected herself. “Them. That _we_ didn’t forget about _them_.”

Kirsch gave her a knowing raise of his eyebrow and she wanted to go back into the other room and punch LaFontaine in the arm. They weren’t gonna let her live this down, even though she admitted to nothing. But it made her wonder. Ever since Laura had met Mircalla, there had been something that kept drawing her back. She didn’t know if it was actually a crush developing (which it wasn’t!) or something else, but the fact that she couldn’t stay away for long was something she would at least admit to herself.

“Anyway, I figured I would ask her just in case, and incredibly, it panned out.”

She went on to tell him her theory as to why Lilita Morgan was doing this, for the control and the energy, but she still didn’t understand how someone could just be so evil. And the thing that bothered her the most was, they may never find out why.

He sighed. “This case just gets more and more disturbing…”

**//**

LaFontaine had managed to make Laura paranoid about every thought that she had about Mircalla now, and it was driving her crazy. Usually that meant there was something to the allegations, but she still denied them, both to herself and to her friends. She didn’t have a crush on the spirit girl. That would be stupid. They could never be together, and Hell, they _shouldn’t_ be even if she did have feelings. Mircalla needed to be set free of her prison so she could crossover like she was meant to. But there was still this nagging thought in the back of her head. It was something she didn’t want to think about anymore, so she vowed to ignore it. In the meantime, the days went by slower than ever, and schoolwork was becoming such a chore to do, let alone pay attention to. Graduation was still eight months away, and she couldn’t wrap her head around it. It seemed so far, yet at the same time coming up so fast. Eight more months until she was officially a college graduate. Eight more months until she would be thrown out into the real world. Eight more months until she had to go out and get a job to support herself. She wasn’t ready. There were so many uncertainties heading her way. Would she be able to get a job here, or would she have to move? If she stayed, would her friends move away? She’d grown so comfortable and dependant on her small group of friends that she wouldn’t know what to do without them. She wasn’t ready to grow up. Just the thought of it gave her anxiety.

“You okay, L?” LaFontaine asked, having noticed Laura’s sudden discomfort.

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Not really.”

“Wanna talk about it?” They asked, putting the pen down and pushing their homework to the side.

It took her a few seconds to find her words, not exactly knowing how to articulate her feelings. She’s never really been good at that. But she tries.

“Do you ever feel that life is just waiting for you to misstep so that it can swallow you whole?”

Their eyebrows shot up, certainly not expecting Laura to say something like that.

“Can’t really say that I do.”

She wondered how that felt. Not dwelling on things. Living in the moment. LaF was really good at that. But that was one thing that hadn’t rubbed off on Laura that she wished had.

“It’s just...college stress and paranormal stress combined, it’s hard to stay positive.”

LaFontaine nodded. “I get that. Especially this being our last year and our hardest case to date.”

Laura pinched the bridge of her nose. “I know I’ve pretty much exhausted all options at this point, but I still feel like I need to be doing _something_. Not sitting around waiting for something to happen.”

“And what would you do?”

Sighing, she let her head fall to the table, making a low thud. “I’ve done research myself and have a plan in mind, but I just wanted an experienced opinion from someone that’s been doing this much longer than we have. But, I don’t know if that will even happen. “

“It’s only been less than a week, L. Even you said that it would probably take some time to get back to you.”

“Yeah, but every day goes by I think about the spirits suffering. Every single night what we caught on tape happens. Can you imagine how horrible that would be? Being trapped in one places for decades upon decades? To be sucked dry of all your energy every night? That’s next level torture, LaF. They need us _now_.

LaF put their hand on Laura’s arm, doing their best to try and comfort her. Raising her head, she gave them a small smile of appreciation.

“If I knew that the call or email was coming, then it wouldn’t be so bad. But it’s the not knowing. I just...I wish I had a sign. Something that told me that everything was going to be okay.”

Just then Laura’s phone rang loudly, startling the both of them.

“Jesus Christ, you need to lower the volume on that thing or you’re gonna give yourself or someone else a heart attack.” LaF said over the xylophone notes playing an upbeat tune.

Laura recovered quickly, scrambling to answer it, only after hesitating a moment to see that the caller ID read Unknown.

“Hello? Yes, this is she.”

LaF sat quietly, sitting back in their chair and going back to their homework, to give some semblance of privacy to Laura.

“Oh my gosh, Father Grant! Thank you for calling me back so soon, I know you must be very busy.”

Father Grant was a Catholic priest that Laura had contacted. He was one of the closest people to their location that she reached out to.

“Yes, it seems to be pretty bad. As I said in my message, there are three locations that we’ve connected through research, all the the same spirit inhabiting them.”

He went on to say that if what she said was true, that it would be one of the most extreme cases he’s ever come across. But, as she understood, he couldn’t just take her word for it, he had to have some proof. Or at the very least, a great incentive to look further into this case.

“I know it’s not much, but I do have some information we gathered from the library and a video that I can show you. It was taken about a week ago. Yes, I’ll send it to you right now.”

Laura got up and fast-walked into the office and logged onto her computer, sending the video file to the email he instructed. They stayed on the phone as he watched it on his end. He seemed concerned, making humming noises as he studied it. Once he was done, he asked for her to send the research that she and her friends had collected on all three locations to him in the mail. The phone call ended with Laura promising to compile everything they had and send it as soon as she could. There was no guarantee that he would come and help them, but there was some hope. More than they’d had thirty minutes ago. It took an hour, but Laura scanned all the documents they had acquired on the mansion, the schoolhouse, the asylum, and Lilita Morgan’s private residence, and dropped them off at the post office, sending it Father Grant’s way. Now it was another waiting game, but for some reason, Laura had a good feeling about it. She couldn’t explain where exactly the feeling came from, but she hoped that her intuition was correct. That this man would be exactly what they needed. To help free hundreds of spirits from the clutches of Lilita Morgan for good. When she arrived back at the house and sat down to relax, she released a long breath. Her heart was still beating rapidly and she felt a renewed sense of energy. Maybe this was the sign she had been looking for...


	7. Chapter 7

Nervousness filled the air that Friday night, mostly radiating off of Perry, who since they all piled into the car, could barely sit still. The rest of them understood though, none of them knew what they would be walking in to. As LaFontaine drove them to Lilita Morgan’s former and current residence, Laura’s anxiety rose. Not out of fear, but anticipation. The image of all those crows popped into her head for the millionth time since she had seen it with her own eyes. They weren’t going there to really do anything other than look around. When Lilita took off for her nightly energy suck, they would have about forty-five minutes to investigate what they could and get out of there. I was risky, but something it was a risk that three of them were willing to take. Perry...not so much. She was mainly here as the chaperone, having voiced her opinions about not wanting to mess with something they know next to nothing about. Laura could see that point, but like LaF, she had a desire to get all the information they could. It had been a few days since Laura had talked to Father Grant on the phone, and she needed to feel like she was doing something, not sitting around twiddling her thumbs at home. The kids at the mansion, the people at the asylum, Mircalla…they all deserved it. She wasn’t going to give up on them.

“Alright, we’re getting close.” LaF said, turning off the headlights and slowing the car down as they turned off the asphalt road onto gravel.

The road went up at an incline and circled the hill. Deciding not to push their luck in getting caught, LaFontaine pulled into a patch of forest behind a large tree to hide their vehicle. They would all walk the rest of the way. Flashlights on hand and LaFontaine in charge of videotaping, they left the car behind and hiked up the hill as silently as possible. Besides the couple times Kirsch tripped on a root or walked into a branch, they managed to get up to a good spot undetected to lay low. Judging by the time Laura and Kirsch had witnessed Lilita arriving at the mansion, it wouldn’t be long before she left now. All four of them huddled behind some brush.

“We shouldn’t be here, it’s too dangerous.” Perry whispered loudly.

“Shhh.” LaF replied before peeking over the bush to make sure their cover wasn’t blown, then turned back to Perry, speaking as low as possible. “You can go stay in the car.”

Perry huffed but stayed quiet. “I’m not leaving you. But we shouldn’t be doing this in the first place. It’s dangerous. We should just wait for Father Grant to back in touch with Laura.”

“Mysteries don’t solve themselves, Per. And while Father Grant is taking his sweet time getting back to Laura, there are two locations full of suffering spirits that need help. We need to do everything we can to help them.”

“And what is this doing?”

“Investigating the main suspect. See if we find anything relevant that we can use against her.”

“Guys.” Laura interjected. “I’m getting a weird feeling.”

Both redheads stopped squabbling and Kirsch turned to look at her.

“Get the camera ready.” She continued, looking up at the house. “It’s time.”

She couldn’t explain how she knew it, but she did. Maybe because she knew what to expect this time and it had been a matter of just waiting for it. And the more she experienced something, the more in tune she got. And this time her senses were telling her that something was about to happen. LaF scrambled to focus the camera getting as much of the house in the shot as possible. Seconds later, a blast of ravens cawing and wings flapping made them all jump. Laura, Kirsch, and LaF watched in awe, while Perry covered her ears and closed her eyes, her body shaking. The birds flew over them and into the darkening sky towards the mansion. They waited a good minute before standing up and turning on their flashlights. With the camera in one hand and Perry in the other, the four of them quickly made their way through the rest of the trees and up the short cobblestoned walkway. The front door was either locked or stuck when Laura tried it, but Kirsch, putting his football skills to good use, rammed the door open with his shoulder. He rubbed his arm but reassured them that he was okay. The house was as dark as could be. The windows boarded up tightly to where not even a stitch of light came in. It was only now somewhat illuminated by the open door and their flashlights. Stepping further inside, Laura led the group. To their surprise, it was the exact floor plan as the mansion.

“That dude who built the mansion really must have been obsessed with her if he went to the trouble of recreating her home.” Laura said, running her finger against a spotless table.

“Why didn’t he just turn this into the B&B?” Kirsch asked.

“Since this is her home-base, she probably scared him off.” LaF guessed, going over to a bureau and opening it.

“Makes sense.” He nodded. “But why is it so clean in here?”

“She seems like the strict type, which would mean she likes to have everything in order.” Laura offered. “At least she does something other than torture people with some of the energy she steals.”

LaF snickered as they rifled through papers and envelopes. “Is it me or do you guys think that if Perry was a spirit, she would spend most her energy cleaning the house as well?”

“Not funny, LaFontaine!” Perry scolded from her spot at the door, wrapping her arms around herself.

It was  _ kind of _ funny, but Laura didn’t say that out loud. She just shone her light around and continued to take note of how spotless it was. Everything had been preserved from its hay day, and it was magnificent. Lilita Morgan may be evil, but she has great taste in decor. The wallpaper was red with a shiny gold accent design, the floors were made of dark stained wood, and the furniture was equally as elegant, and matched the surroundings. Laura exited the parlor room and took to the hallway. Instead of going left, which would lead her to the stairs, she turned right. If the floorplan was the exact same as the mansion, the kitchen would be back there. And sure enough, it was. Clean as can be, but bare. No knick knacks of any sort were in there, just one small painting of a vase of flowers next to the window. If she really thought about it, it wasn’t surprising. In life, Lilita Morgan didn’t seem like the kind of person that subscribed to the belief that that kitchen is the heart of the home. If anything, the only traffic through there would have been a paid housekeeper that cooked for the woman. Other than that, she didn’t get any other impressions, so she decided to move on. She took the hallways back past the parlor where her friends were talking quietly about some handwritten letters that they found, while she kept going until she came upon the staircase. Wasting no time, she climbed.

The upstairs hallway was less decorated than the downstairs, but no less stunning, even in the crappy blue-ish tint of her flashlight. She pointed the beam down to the end of the hall, seeing that only one door was open. Ironically, it was the same room she had ended up in the mansion where she talked to the girl, whose name she still didn’t know, she realized. Stepping in, she guessed that this was the master bedroom. It had a large bed, a nicely detailed carved bed frame, plush bed sheets, a good-sized vanity and big closet. The walls were red and covered in paintings of landscapes. She took a seat on the edge of the bed and closed her eyes, concentrating on the location. She hadn’t felt any energies present, but it was best to check for sure. A few moments later, she opened her eyes again, not having sensed anyone. It appeared to be that Lilita Morgan lived here alone. In life and in death. She give the room another once-over and was about to leave when the gleam of light shined on the brass handle attached to a nightstand. She reached over and pulled the drawer open, expecting not to find anything, but intrigued to find a small, leather-bound book. She pulled it out and made sure there weren’t any spiders on it before opening the lock with a snap. Inside, elegant, loopy handwriting filled the pages. Laura thought it was safe to assume that it’s a journal of some sort.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t really make out the cursive, it having been written quickly and over time the pages had faded slightly. She did wonder what the woman wrote about though, and debated on taking it. After a few seconds, she placed it in the pocket of her hoodie and closed the nightstand drawer. She would bring it back and put it in it’s place once she was able to see if anyone could translate the writing into readable words. Getting up, Laura left the room otherwise as she found it, and peeked in the closed doors. All but one were unlocked. Of course it made her curious as to what was on the other side, but without a key, or a battering ram, at the moment, there was no getting in there. When she gave up and let go of the handle, the hair on the back of her neck stood up and a shiver ran down her spine. Something wasn’t right. Checking the watch on her wrist, they should have at least twenty more minutes left before Lilita was due back, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that was building inside of her, and fast. Soon, it’s like the air was statically charged. She knew that feeling. Usually a huge wave of activity happens not long after. Hurrying downstairs, she finds her friends huddled in a half circle, reading a letter from one of the discarded envelopes.

“Guys…”

“Hold on, L, I think we’re onto something.” LaFontaine replied, basically waving her off.

“You should pack those up, we can read them back at home.” She tried again.

“Almost done.” They said, still not understanding the severity of the situation.

Laura didn’t want to scare Perry, but something else would scare her more if they didn’t get going.

“Guys! We need to go-”

She was cut off by the now familiar sound of bird’s wings flapping in the wind. It was only a few short seconds before the deafening screeches of the ravens broke the stillness of the night. The next thing they knew, the black birds came shooting out of the fireplace. Perry let out a blood-curtling scream, Kirsch a yelp, and LaFontaine a swear. Laura on the other hand could only turn around in time not to be smacked in the face by feathered bodies. They did hit her back though, and it made her skin crawl.

“Head for the door! This way!” Kirsch yelled over the unsettling cacophony.

They all struggled for a few moments, but eventually made it out of the door, the birds not leaving the house, thankfully. But that didn’t stop them from racing towards the car, LaF in the lead with Perry on their heels, and Kirsch lumbering along, disoriented but keeping up. But Laura felt the need to look. Like something was pulling her to, and she had no choice in the matter. For only a couple seconds, she looked back over her shoulder to see the birds form the shape of a woman, staring straight at her, before the front door slammed shut with a resounding smack.

**//**

“Holy shit.” Kirsch said for the fiftieth time, even though they had made it safe and sound back to their house.

Him, Laura, and LaFontaine were currently sprawled out in the living room, sitting (mostly) silently for the past ten minutes since getting back, and staring at nothing in particular as they tried to digest what the heck just happened to them. Perry, probably traumatized for life, was upstairs, locked away in the safety of her room. Laura wouldn’t doubt if the girl was already trying to convince herself that what they experienced was just some kind of group hallucination.

“I think I pulled something. I’ve never run that fast in my life.” LaF said, groaning as they moved their leg into an elevated position onto the ottoman in front of their chair.

“Pretty sure my heart stopped for a few seconds back there.” Kirsch added, putting his hand over his chest for effect, then sat up and faced LaF. “Do you still have the letters, or did you drop them?”

LaFontaine unzipped their jacket, and a pile of letters tumbled out onto their lap.

“Sweet.” Kirsch replied.

That reminded Laura about the journal she swiped as well.

“I almost forgot.” She took it out and held it up. “I got something as well. Found it in the master bedroom’s nightstand. I couldn’t make out the handwriting, but maybe one of you guys can.”

“Yeah, I’ll give it a look.” LaF replied lazily.

“We can go over them in-depth tomorrow.” Laura clarified, standing up. “Right now, I think we all should get a good night’s rest.”

“Agreed.” LaF said before pausing, looking at their position. “I may need some help getting up though.”

“Oh!” Kirsch exclaimed, then scooped up the letters in one hand and helped LaFontaine into a standing position with the other.

“Thanks.” They said appreciatively, before popping their back.

“No problem, bro.” He smiled, handing the stack back to them. “Need help getting up the stairs?”

“Nah...I think I’m actually gonna crash on the office sofa tonight.” They replied. “You know, give Per some space and all.”

“Okay. Night then, nerds.” He saluted them both and went to his room.

Laura handed the journal to LaF as they limped on past, then headed upstairs to her own room to crash for the night.

**//**

A few days later, all of the letters had been read and the journal mostly deciphered, thanks to the dedication of LaFontaine. They had typed up everything so it would be easier for the rest of them to read, and Laura couldn’t be more grateful. Basically, the letter contained a back and forth correspondence with a man who seems to have fathered their child and didn’t want to take responsibility for it. To say this bit of information was a shocker to Laura was an understatement. In none of their research did they come across any information about Lilita Morgan having been a mother. But as the letters went on, it was clear as to why. At one point, the child came down with a sickness that only got worse. And at the time, Lilita didn’t have enough money to take the child to a doctor to receive the most recent medicine that would be the best chance to combat the illness. The poor child was dead within a few weeks, and the father talked like it was a relief rather than a tragedy. In the journal during this time, the change from a seemingly normal and nice, though strict mother, quickly turned into a mean and vengeful woman. Knowing the father’s name, Laura went to the library with LaFontaine after classes to get some more info on who he was and what happened after the child’s death. 

It took a good amount of sifting through the archives, but they finally came upon the man’s obituary. He died less than a year after his child’s death...by poisoning. Nobody was every arrested and convicted for the murder, but it was pretty apparent to both Laura and LaF that Lilita Morgan had done the deed. Putting the pieces together, a picture of the woman’s life was created. She hadn’t always been the evil woman they knew her as. Lilita Morgan had been impregnated and deserted, left to raise a child all on her own. Not only that, but when she pleaded for help from the one person that should have helped her, she was only met with annoyance and refusal. No wonder she was a heartbroken woman who seemed to take her anger out on the children that she looked after at school. If she had to suffer, so did everyone else. Laura disagreed with how the woman had dealt with everything, but she understood too. She couldn’t imagine losing a child, but knew the inevitable rage that came with it could consume someone if they let it. But unfortunately, the woman who Lilita had been was gone, and now she was this...evil entity torturing people, including children. She had to be stopped somehow. And thankfully, they seemed to be getting closer to that.

Father Grant had called Laura and told her he was working on recruiting some of his fellow priests to go and scope out the locations. It was standard procedure apparently to see how bad the location actually was before requesting permission from the Vatican to perform an exorcism, which is what Father Grant said was most likely needed to get Lilita Morgan out once and for all. She had given him directions to all three locations, and was told that he would contact her again once a decision was made. Laura wasn’t exactly hopeful then, knowing that a request to the Vatican could take months. And even then, it wasn’t a guarantee. For the millionth time, her thoughts went to Mircalla. She pictured her thin and weak, like when she’d first seen her, getting sucked of all her energy every single night. Laura technically had an excuse to go talk to her now that she had a little bit of new information to share, but at what point would it raise suspicions? Mircalla had made it clear that it wasn’t exactly safe. That there were some people in the asylum that would do anything to get on Maman’s good side, even if that meant ratting out Mircalla, who was working with someone trying to help all of them get out of that hellhole. But still, she felt that pull to the girl at the asylum. She’s never been one to be able to go against her instincts for long, Hell, this case alone proved that.

So she waited until classes we done for the day before borrowing the car and heading out. Without a plan, but she just needed to get there first. This time Laura didn’t feel the need to rush there like she had before, but she was still antsy. She wasn’t sure why until the memory of LaFontaine telling her that she had a crush on the female spirit cropped up into her mind. Immediately, her heart sped up, and she knew there was no denying it. Fine, she had a crush on a pretty girl who happened to be dead. She’ll admit that. But that’s it. Just an attraction that will fade. She just hadn’t spent enough time with Mircalla for her to get over that yet. Yeah, that’s it. Once Laura put that thought to rest, she realized she was already turning into the gravel road that took her to the cemetery. She hadn’t decided what she was going to do when she got close to the asylum, but it seemed that her subconscious already had plans. At this point, what else was she supposed to do other than trust her instincts? But the real surprise was finding Mircalla sitting on a large rock in front of the groundskeeper’s house.

“Waiting for me?” She teased as she got out of the car.

“ _ Something like that _ .” The girl said, looking a little confused.

Now Laura was very curious. Well, she was always curious, but now more so.

“Did you  _ know _ that I was coming?”

Mircalla shrugged her shoulders. “ _ I felt like I needed to be here...then you showed up. So maybe _ .”

“Interesting.” Laura muttered, stepping closer.

“ _ What brings you back to the Loony Bin _ ?”

“Thought I’d update you on a few new developments.”

Mircalla nodded, then looked around before standing up. “ _ How much could have happened since the last time we spoke _ ?”

“Well, it seems like a lot. But let’s go inside, I have some stuff to show you.”

Both were quiet until the door of the house shut behind them, and Laura led Mircalla over to the counter where she took the typed up versions of the letters and the journal out and sat it down.

“So we went to where Lilita Morgan lived when she was alive, and where her home-base is now, and we found some interesting things. My friends LaFontaine found a bunch of letters from who we determined to be the father of Lilita’s baby.”

“ _ That monstrosity had a child _ ?” Mircalla asked, cringing.

“Well, the thing is...in life, she was actually a normal woman trying to raise a child on her own. Nothing evil about her. Until her child died of an illness that could have possibly been prevented if gotten the proper medical attention, which the father could have helped with, but didn’t seem to care. So that obviously affected her, and well, she poisoned him not long after that.”

“ _ So she got her revenge? Then why is she...whatever the Hell she is now _ ?”

“Even though she killed the reason for her rage, nothing could bring the child back. So she stayed angry, and that’s when she started being known as the mean Headmaster at the school. And when she died, all that hatred turned her into something that she probably never even imagined she could become, but, and I’m just theorizing here, it happened and she obviously liked the power she had, so she ran with it. And here we are.”

“ _ Huh. It’s strange to think she was human once _ .” Mircalla leaned against the counter, deep in thought as she stared out the window. “ _ If she hadn’t, you know, tortured all of us for the past several decades I’d feel a little sorry for her _ .”

Laura nodded.

“ _ So what’s this _ ?” Mircalla pointed to the papers.

“Oh, the letters and journal were a bit hard to read so LaFontaine typed these up for easy reading. I gave you the very abbreviated version of the story, but I figured I would bring these in case you wanted to read them yourself.”

“ _ I’ll pass, Cupcake. I trust your abbreviation was all I needed to know. Anything else _ ?”

“Yes, actually!” She cheered up and put the papers back away. “I finally got a response from one of the people I reached out to for help. His name is Father Grant, and he is a priest of a church that isn’t too far from here. I gave him all the info we gathered and sent him the footage I showed you last time, and he said that he and a few of his colleagues would check out the three locations before making a decision on what needed to be done. Though he said if the activity was legitimate, that most likely an exorcism would be done. So they are going to stop by at some point, so don’t be alarmed.”

Mircalla nodded slowly at her, and Laura could tell that she had just babbled on really fast. She couldn’t help it when Mircalla was looking at her the way she was. Ugh.

“But, you know, while they are visiting...if you could prove to them that you all are actually here, that would probably help in getting this whole process done a lot faster.”

“ _ I’ll see what I can do _ .”

“Good.” Laura awkwardly replied before moving away from the girl and sitting in what she now considers her usual spot on the arm of the sofa. “So...how have things been since we last talked?”

“ _ Same as it’s always been. Though she has seemed a bit more agitated than usual. Does she know you all were snooping around her house _ ?”

Laura bit her lip. “Well…”

“ _ I’ll take that as a yes _ .”

“I think she just thought we were a bunch of teens looking for a scary thrill. I mean, she could have done something terrible to us if she wanted to, but all she did was scare us off.”

“ _ She probably doesn’t know that you have some of her personal effects _ .  _ Lord help us all when she finds out _ .”

“Well, let’s just hope that she doesn’t.  _ Ever _ .” Laura nearly shivered at the thought. “I wouldn’t want to make things worse for you all by making her more mad than she already is. We only took them to get some insight on her.”

“ _ And insight you got _ .”

“Yeah. I don’t know how it would help us any, but at least we got to the root of why this was all happening in the first place. So I call that a small victory.”

“ _ A victory is a victory, no matter how big or small _ .”

Laura gave her a smile. “That may be the first positive thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

“ _ Don’t get used to it, Cutie. Positive is a bad look on me _ .” Mircalla said, turning away.

Laura could tell the girl was amused, though, even when she tried to hide it. She wondered what other things she would find out about the girl if she got to know her better. Being naturally inquisitive, it killed her every time they were together not asking all the questions that came to her mind. She wanted to know everything. Where Mircalla came from, what it was like growing up in the early nineteen hundreds, and how she ended up here. But they barely knew each other, and it was probably something that Mircalla didn’t want to talk about. At least not while she was still stuck here.

“Well, I beg to differ.” Laura finally replied.

They shared a look then, that Laura wasn’t really sure how to interpret. It was almost like the girl couldn’t really believe what she was hearing. Again, Laura wished that she had some backstory on the girl. What was going through her head? Then she realized that there had been no response from Mircalla, so she cleared her throat and said the first thing that came to her mind.

“Just don’t let the compliment go to your head.”

This time Mircalla let her lips form a subtle smile, if only for a few seconds, before responding. “ _ I’ll do my best _ .”

She left shortly after that, not having any reason to stay now that she’s passed on the newest developments. Again, she promised to come back when she has more information to give, though it may not be for a while. Like always, she hated leaving. As she drove away, she looked up into her rearview mirror and watched Mircalla start walking back through the woods towards the asylum. Soon, she disappeared in the thick brush, and Laura was forced to pay attention to where she was going. 


	8. Chapter 8

Unfortunately, Laura’s good mood took a turn for the worse a few nights later, when what was supposed to be a relaxing movie night with friends turned into a fight before they even got around to choosing what they were going to watch.

“You do realize that all of this sounds _insane_ , right?”

Laura took a deep breath and rubbed her temples. She liked Danny, but she wished that Kirsch hadn’t elaborated on the new developments of the case they were working on. The girl only made Laura feel...abnormal. Ignoring that fact that she kind of was, being psychic and all, friends were supposed to make you feel comfortable being yourself.

“It _is_ insane, that we can agree on. But it’s also true.” LaFontaine replied.

“You really expect me to believe that a woman lost her mind after her kid died and is now taking it out on the ghosts of children in the afterlife?”

“And adults. Don’t forget the asylum peeps.” Kirsch added.

LaF ignored Kirsch and replied to Danny. “It’s a bit more complicated than that…”

“D-Bear, come on.” He continued. “Why would we lie?”

Danny rolled her eyes. “I don’t know, because you ran out of things to binge-watch on Netflix and now you’re bored?”

Laura, LaF, and Kirsch all looked at the tall redhead with hurt and a little bit of disbelief that their friend was being so insensitive. Or, more insensitive than usual. Perry, who had been silent throughout the conversation, got up and left the room. She didn’t like when arguments like this started, it just stressed her out. Laura knew the feeling.

A few moments passed before Kirsch got up. “I think I still have homework to do.”

With that, he left the room too, looking like a puppy that had just been kicked.

Danny sighed after she heard his bedroom door shut. “I don’t know why we can’t just hang out _one time_ without talk of ghouls and goblins.”

“Because it’s what we do.” LaF said in a hard tone, frown prominent on their face.

For whatever reason, Danny and LaFontaine had never really gotten along, and disagreements like this always got both of them riled up quickly, while Laura always seemed to be caught in the middle trying to get everyone to calm down. But this time she just sat there and waited for them to either drop it or have a blowout about it. She was tired of playing the referee.

“What you _do_? When are you going to realize that you are just a bunch of college kids meddling around in things that aren’t any of your business? And who are going to step into an abandoned building one day and get seriously hurt.” Danny stood up, clenching her hands tight at her sides. “Like it or not, we’re graduating from college soon. It’s time you stop playing Ghostbusters and start acting like adults.” She made her way to the door, opening it before pausing one last time. “Let me know when you guys have come to your senses.”

She made her exit then, letting the door close a bit too hard after her.

“Well, that’s not how I anticipated this evening going.” LaFontaine spoke up after a few moments of silence.

Laura had stayed silent through all of the exchange, not wanting to fight with Danny, but it seemed inevitable. It would always come up between them eventually. It made her wonder if they really just weren’t meant to be friends after all. Laura, Perry, Kirsch, and even LaF had supported Danny by going to her field hockey games when they could and participated in Summer Society charity events. So why couldn’t Danny just accept that this was their thing? It felt like an unfair relationship. All parties should be putting forth equal effort, but it just wasn’t happening.

“And we _haven’t_ run out of things to binge-watch on Netflix.” LaFontaine continued. “How much time does she think we have?”

Laura chuckled, relieving some of the stress just listening to the argument had built up inside of her before she replied. “I know right. We haven’t even finished our Buffy rewatch yet.”

“Someone say Buffy?” Kirsch asked, coming back into the room warily. “Are we gonna watch that? Because I thought we were still waiting for Laura to prepare herself for Tara’s death?”

“No, we’re not watching it. I’m still not ready.” She stated.

“Little Nerd, she died like fifteen years ago-”

“Too soon, Kirsch.” Laura interrupted. “Still too soon.”

He put up his hands in surrender.

“Can we watch something with explosions, then?” LaF asked.

Laura nodded. “Explosions I have no problem with.”

“We have yet to watch Mad Max: Fury Road.” They suggested. “I’ve heard it has a copious amount of explosions.”

“Sweet!” Kirsch pumped his fist, excited once more. “I’m gonna make the popcorn. Don’t start without me!”

He jogged out of the room, nearly tripping on his backpack that was leaning up against the back of the couch, and all LaF and Laura could do was shake their heads at him. Maybe the night wasn’t completely ruined after all.

**//**

“Son of a _bad person_!” Laura raised her voice as she read the last bit of the journal that LaFontaine had finished transcribing.

LaFontaine nodded knowingly, Perry looked up from her knitting with concern, and Kirsch momentarily put down his homework.

“What?” He asked, dying of curiosity after five seconds of silence.

Laura looked at LaF with wide eyes. “She’s the one who set the fire?!”

They nodded again. “I can’t believe we didn’t even think of that as a possibility before.”

“Wait, Lilita Morgan killed herself and all those kids _on purpose_?” Kirsch frowned.

“She says in here that she had nothing else to live for once her child was gone and she got her revenge of the child’s father.” Laura said, still reading. “Her last entry is basically outlining her plan.”

He shook his head, angry and confused. “That’s some next level bullsh-”

“Language!” Perry interrupted.

“I could at least sort of sympathize with her before, but this…” Laura sighed. “I don’t get it. If you lost your child and were so upset about it, why take other kids from their parents, putting them through it too?”

“You can’t rationalize crazy, L.” LaF said. “She obviously had some sort of emotional and/or mental breakdown. Otherwise, judging by her writings before everything fell apart, I really don’t think she would have ever done something like that.”

She knew LaF had a point, and she can’t really blame the woman for having a breakdown. No one _chose_ to have one after all. And the mental care back then was less than acceptable. She could have gotten sent to an asylum herself.

“I wish there was just a way to _talk_ to her.” Laura said softly. “To tell her that we know what happened and that we understand how terrible it was that she lost her child, but that she can’t keep taking her pain out on others.”

“Yeah, because that would go over _so_ well.” LaF replied, looking horrified at the thought.

“Can we please talk about something else for a little while?” Perry asked, this time not looking up from her knitting. “I think Danny has a point. Other than school, this is all we talk, think, and research about...and I think it’s wise to take a break. At least until Father Grant gets back to Laura.”

As if on cue, Laura cell phone started ringing in her pocket. She shifted in her chair so she can pull it out, and as soon as she saw the Caller ID, she scrambles to answer it and put it to her ear.

“Hello?” She says as calmly as she can muster. “Father Grant, it’s good to hear from you.”

Perry stopped knitting with a huff, and stood up from the sofa before irritatedly stomping upstairs to her room.

“No, it’s not too late.” Laura continued, slightly worried about his tone of voice before looking at the watch on her wrist. “Yes,  I’ll text you our address. Okay. Bye.”

She hung up her phone and stared at it for a moment before opening a conversation window and sending their home address to Father Grant. He sounded off and a bit rushed, and Laura was concerned. Especially if he wanted to meet and talk at this hour.

“We gonna have company?” LaF asked.

“Yeah, apparently he has some stuff that he wants to share.”

“What’s his ETA?”

“He’s already on the way here, but he didn’t say where he was coming from.”

“I’m gonna go try and finish my homework before he gets here.” Kirsch said, picking up his textbook and papers before leaving the living room.

Standing up, Laura put her phone back in her pocket. “I’m going to wait for him outside on the porch. Wanna join?”

LaF nodded. “Sure.”

Both grabbed hoodies off the old coat rack by the door and made their way out and onto the porch, where they sat down on the wooden bench swing. It was a brisk but nice fall night, perfect hoodie weather, and to be honest, it made Laura want s’mores. It reminded her of her childhood when she would sit on her mom’s lap and she’d be allowed to roast her own marshmallow, with strict supervision from her dad. The thought made her smile, and she gazed up at the bright stars in the night sky. However, the feeling of content Laura was experiencing didn’t last long. Over the next ten minutes, she was overcome with a building anxiety. Her heart started beating faster and she couldn’t help fidgeting with her fingers. It was probably safe to assume that since both her, LaF, and the rest of the house was calm, that it was Father Grant’s energy that she was picking up on, so he must not be that far away. LaFontaine noticed her discomfort, but there wasn’t anything to be done about it. Laura was just hoping that it would subside once the man got there and filled them in on what’s happened since the last time they spoke, nearly a week ago. She couldn’t help but wonder why he wanted so urgently to meet with her. Soon, her fidgeting turning into restlessness. She almost got up to pace, but before she could, a car sped past their street, but screeched to a halt a few seconds later. The car backed up quickly and turned onto their street, and then haphazardly pulled into their driveway, parking a bit crooked.

Laura and LaFontaine then stood to greet the priest, but it turned out that it wasn’t just Father Grant. Two other priests exited the car in a similarly anxious fashion, and quickly made their way up to the two college students.

“Miss Hollis, I presume?” asked Father Grant, sticking his hand out to shake Laura’s’.

She recognized him by his picture on the church website that she contacted him through. She didn’t know who the other two were though, but gathered that they were the colleagues that he said he would recruit to help him with this particular case.

“Yes.” She said, meeting his hand and shaking it. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

He gripped her hand a little bit too hard and shook it up and down a bit more than necessary.

“Yes, yes.” He replied, his voice shaky. “I’m sorry to come on such short notice, but a new development in our investigation.”

She frowned, not being able to keep herself from asking the obvious. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”

“Father...” The youngest looking priest said, looking up at the sky in the distance.

Laura, LaFontaine, Father Grant, and the other priest followed suit, gazing up at a piece of night sky that was now being overtaken by a darkness, blocking out the stars. It was moving fast...and coming straight towards them.

“Everyone get inside.” Father Grant said before gesturing at the front door.

None of them hesitated, and Laura led the group in the house. LaFontaine held the door open until everyone had made it in, then closed the door swiftly and turned the deadbolt lock. Laura almost laughed, knowing that a simple door wouldn’t keep out something supernatural that wanted to get in. It was now that she regretted never having sealing the property off with a salt line for a layer of protection. It would have been a barrier nearly impossible to get through, but it was too late now. They all stood in the living room silently, waiting for something to happen. All of a sudden, the hair on Laura’s arms and neck stood up. She knew that wasn’t a good sign. Then above them, the lights started flickering, and a coldness entered the room. It was like they had suddenly walked into a freezer. Laura knew what this meant, and by the look on the three priests faces, so did they. It was inside the house.

She sighed. “Aw, crap.”

A few moments later, Kirsch walked into the living room, rubbing his arms. “Hey, did you guys turn the AC on mega high or what?”

He stopped in his tracks when he realized the lights were flickering, and noticed that everyone else seemed to be just standing around and on edge.

“LaFontaine, are you doing an experiment again? Because it’s affecting the lights-” Perry said as she came down the stairs, stopping at the bottom when she saw everyone congregated.

Not a second later, a shiver shook Perry’s whole body, and she instinctively wrapped her cardigan around her tightly.

“I have a bad feeling about this...” LaFontaine said quietly.

Laura saw their breath before she noticed hers as well, then felt a wave of even colder air. Just then, the lights stopped flickering and cut out, leaving them in the darkness. It took a few moments, but when all of their eyes adjusted, the room was soaked in dark blue light, courtesy of the moonlight coming through the windows. All seven of them stood frozen in their spots. Laura felt like her heart was going to leap out of her chest at any moment, and it didn’t help when thuds and bangs started emanating from the walls around them. Perry then squealed and ran over to LaFontaine, throwing herself in their arms. It was then that Father Grant reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out a crucifix. The lights started flickering again, throwing off their vision, but not enough to clearly see black smoke making its way out of the vents in the room. One over by the entrance to the kitchen, one next to the TV stand, and the last against the wall that was next to the office door. They were surrounded. The smoke, that seemed blacker than black, rose above their heads and came together to make one cloud at the base of the stairs. In a matter of seconds, it formed the shape of a person. Minus the crows, it was just like what Laura had witnessed when they made their escape from Lilita’s residence.

Finally, it felt like she could move again, and she started backing away as all three priests moved toward it, crosses out and now Father Grant was saying some sort of prayer. Kirsch managed to stumble away from it as well, nearly falling onto the couch in his attempt to do so. Laura moved to help him stabilize himself again and then clung onto each other. This was so far out of their realm of things they’ve dealt with in the past, and they really didn’t know what to do. But it seemed as though the priests did, and whatever they were doing was working. The black figure contorted and hovered away from them as they progressed towards it, and when Father Grant took out a small bottle of what Laura recognized to be holy water, and sprayed it at the smoke, a loud scream was let out before it found it’s exit in their fireplace. Sucking itself up the chimney, it disappeared from sight. A few seconds later, the lights stopped flickering and stayed on, and the cold left as fast as it had come.

“Well, that wasn’t good.” Kirsch said, breaking the silence.

“No, son, it wasn’t.” Father Grant replied.

After the priests put their crosses away, and Father grant pocketed his holy water once more, they all sat down in the living room. Perry was shaking, still scared as LaFontaine held her. Laura sat close to Kirsch, hand on his back for support. Father Grant sat in LaF’s chair, while the other two priests, who were finally introduced as Father Theodore and Father Vordenberg, sat on the edge of the fireplace as Laura filled them in on what new information they had gathered last time they went back to the mansion.

“At this point, I think we can safely say that she’s just a very negative spirit, not a demon.” Father Grant said confidently.

“How can you be so sure?” Kirsch inquired.

“Demons were never human. In this case, all signs point to this being Lilita Morgan. She may have turned herself into a creature-like entity, whether purposely or not, or that’s just how she chooses to present herself. Either way, I believe the best way to deal with her is an exorcism. She’s attached to the mansion, the asylum, and her residence, so we’ll have to cleanse all three of those premises and move her along.”

“Move her along to where?” LaFontaine asked.

“Where she’s meant to be.” Laura answered. “Where she can shed all of her anger and hatred, and finally be reunited with her child.”

**//**

Never in Laura’s life did she ever expect to be a part of an exorcism. Hell, the movie The Exorcist had terrified her as a kid. She didn’t anticipate Lilita’s head to spin around or anything though, but who knows, Lilita could surprise her. She didn’t know what all the woman was capable of, so it was anyone’s guess as to what would happen. The priests wanted the exorcism done as soon as possible, but getting permission from the Vatican takes time. However, Father Grant said this case was probably the most extreme he’s ever come across, and with both Father Vordenberg and Father Theodore to back him up, the urgency must have been felt by the higher-ups, and they were granted permission to perform an exorcism within a week. During that time, no one had gone back to the mansion, asylum, or Lilita’s home, so none of them knew the current situation. Laura continued to hope that their actions hadn’t affected the people in either location. In the time it took to get permission, they came up with a plan. They tried to recruit more people to help, but those in town who were into the paranormal refused when they heard the word “exorcism”. No one wanted to be involved in something that had demonic connotations, even though they tried to explain that it was a spirit they were trying to get rid of, not a demon. But still, once people said no, they meant it. Desperate, Laura and Kirsch went to Danny. As suspected, she declined. And not politely either. There was yelling before Laura grabbed Kirsch and walked away.

That night they waited until Lilita went back to her home for the night, and all seven of them started drawing a salt circle around all three locations, hoping that it would effectively trap her in that area. With limited rest due to anxiety and a shit ton of salt, they tried to be as quick and quiet as they could be at the asylum, fearing that someone would somehow tattle on them before they were done, and then they made their way to the residence itself. It had taken a couple hours to get this far, and they weren't about to stop now. As Laura’s salt line met LaFontaine’s, they all released a sigh of relief. Part one of the evening was complete. From there, they all split up. Father Vordenberg took LaFontaine and Perry to the mansion, Father Grant and Kirsch stayed at Lilita’s residence, and Father Theodore and Laura went back to the asylum. She really wished they had backup, but it was too late for that. It was now or never. All of them stayed connected through walkie talkies. The signal was a bit fuzzy, but it would have to do. When they arrived back at the huge building, Mircalla came out to meet them. The girl had briefly come out to see what they were doing earlier, and Laura had very quickly explained their plan. She was drained from the whole energy sucking thing, but still wanted to help. Laura wondered if Mircalla knows just how strong she is...

“The circle is complete.” Laura said, stopping in front of her.

She still looked worse for wear, but nodded. “ _Okay_ . _What’s next_?”

“We’re going to light some blessed incense throughout the building. Even though we know she’s not a demon, she’s still negative, and it can’t hurt. Hopefully if she tries to get away from us, it will repel her from this building, the mansion, and her residence, so she’ll be out in the open. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.”

“ _Sounds like a recipe for disaster_.”

“Quite possibly.”

“Miss Hollis?” Father Theodore said, getting her attention before handing her some incense. “I’ll take the basement and ground level. You take the upper floors.”

She nodded and followed him into the building with some confidence. However, when they separated she let out a shaky breath. This was really happening. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, attempting to center and focus herself. A few moments later there was a tingle on her right shoulder. She opened her eyes and found Carmilla’s hand there. She was grateful she had a familiar face with her in this. She didn’t like that everyone was separated from each other, but she knew it was crucial to their plan. So she got to work on doing her part. As she expected, going from room to room, spreading the incense smoke throughout the hospital caused the spirits to become more active, even though they had been drained just hours ago. Whispering, thumps, and a general sense of anxiety filled the building. It’s like they knew what was going to be attempted, but were convinced that it wouldn’t work and they would have to pay the price. That wasn’t going to happen. Laura wouldn’t let it. Tonight was the night that all of this ends. No more hunting the living for more souls. No more trapped spirits. No more sucking these innocent people dry. No. More. Those thoughts fueled Laura now, no longer letting herself be ruled by hers and everyone else’s anxiety. So she quickly but thoroughly spread the incense smoke around the second floor before going up a flight and doing the same there.

Mircalla was with her every step and once in awhile it seemed as though another spirit would try and stop them from continuing what they were doing, and Mircalla would engage in an argument. Laura let nothing stop her. Not even the exhausted cries that echoed through the building. She was trying to help them, and even though they couldn’t see that now, they would soon. Once she was finished, Laura walkied Kirsch and LaFontaine, letting them know that her and Father Theodore were done. LaF said that they would be done in a few minutes. Once that was complete, Father Grant and Kirsch would go into Lilita’s residence and start burning their incense, no doubt waking her up and making her very angry. Once that happened, there really was no going back. Once back down to ground level, Father Theodore met her outside and they prepared themselves for the next step in the plan. Laura got her backpack out of Father Theodore’s car, and they started to walk into the woods when a vehicle screeched to a halt, kicking up gravel. Behind the driver’s seat, Laura saw that it was Danny. Running over to the door, the blonde leaned against the car and looked at the redhead with surprise.

“You came…”

She could see that Danny was gripping the steering wheel so hard that her knuckles were white.

“I can’t believe it either.” She replied, then finally made eye contact with her. “So...what can I do?”

“Come on.” Laura gestured for her to get out of the vehicle.

She saw Danny take a deep breath before reluctantly letting go of the steering wheel and hopping out.

“We’ve already made a salt circle around all three properties, and we lit incense in the building as a precaution for later when Lilita may try and run and hide from us. It will hopefully keep her out.” Laura then pulled a piece of paper out of her backpack and put in on the hood, illuminating with her flashlight. “All three locations make a triangle.” Then she put her finger in the middle of the triangle. “That’s where we’re going to meet up with everyone. We’ll deal with _her_ from there.”

Danny nodded slowly. Laura didn’t know if she had changed her mind to join them because she deep down believed them or just wanted to look out for them, but either way, Laura was happy that she was here. Handing the redhead a flashlight, she folded the map back up, putting it back where she had gotten it, and secured her backpack once more. The three of them and Mircalla then started walking towards their destination. LaFontaine walkied them a few minutes later, notifying everyone that they were done at the mansion and were leaving for the rendezvous location. Now, it was time for Father Grant and Kirsch to wake the beast...


	9. Chapter 9

Laura wiped sweat off her forehead once more before she ducked out of the way of a low-hanging tree branch. She’d been on the go for hours now, putting each stage of the plan in motion, and it was catching up with her. But exhaustion couldn’t stop her now,not when they were so close. What did stop her though was when she heard Mircalla curse under her breath and stop in her tracks.

“What’s wrong?” Laura questioned, turning to face her.

“ _The asylum property line ends here. I can’t go any further_.”

Right...she had completely forgotten about that. Laura bit her lip as she watched Danny and Father Theodore continue walking. They technically didn’t need Mircalla, but per presence had made Laura feel exponentially better and more confident. But it seemed as though this is where they would have to part for now.

“That’s okay.” She said, in an attempt to reassure her. “Um...how about you go back to the asylum and try to talk to everybody? Let them in on what’s about to happen.”

The frail girl sighed and looked back the way they came. “ _I don’t want to leave you_.” She replied softly.

Laura’s heart skipped a beat. She longed for Mircalla to be able to continue on with them, but neither of them had no choice in the matter.

“We’ll see each other again in a little while. Alright?” Laura said, not knowing what else to say.

Mircalla faced her again and reluctantly nodded. “ _Just...stay safe, Cupcake_.”

She smiled. “I’ll do my best.”

They parted then, Mircalla defeated, heading back towards the asylum, and Laura jogging to catch up with Danny and Father Theodore, still slowly making their way to the rendezvous point.

**//**

“ _Okay, we’re heading in_.” Kirsch said over the walkie a little while later.

Laura could tell that he was incredibly nervous. Heck, if she was where he was now, she would be too. None of them knew exactly how all this was going to go down. They could plan all they want, but Lilita was unpredictable. She wished that she could give him some words of support, but didn’t want to blow their cover sooner than needed. She clipped her walkie back to her jeans just as they stepped out of the edge of the forest and into a meadow about the size of a football field. A few minutes later, she saw Father Vordenberg, Perry, and LaFontaine’s flashlights, coming out of the trees to their left. Laura coughed into her arm suddenly, knowing it was because of spending so much time in the chilly night air for the past three and a half hours. She was probably going to be sick for the rest of the week because of it, but if all went well, she didn’t think she could really complain about it. As they walked over to meet them, Laura got that prickly sensation up her spine, and her heart started beating faster. It was just about time.

“It’s one thing to lure her here, but it’s another to _keep_ her here.” Laura said, wasting no time as both groups met up. I’ll try and distract her. LaF and Danny, you two make a salt circle around this meadow, but don’t complete it without breaking the one we already have in place. One of you will need to go to the perimeter and break it, walkie back the second you do it, and then the other completes the new circle. She’ll be trapped in this small area then, with nowhere to go. That way the priests can start the exorcism.”

“I’ll go run and break the outer circle.” Danny volunteered. “I have longer legs, so it’ll be faster.”

LaFontaine’s surprise to see Danny there at all turned into surprise that she was actually willing to help.

“And that leaves me to complete the circle.” LaF nodded. “Got it.”

“You two start now, we don’t have much time.” Laura said, taking her backpack off and taking a large bag of salt out, before handing that to Danny, and then giving her the backpack as well. “There’s more in there if you need it.”

LaF saluted Laura and then dug out their own bag of salt from the pack that Perry was holding, and went to work, spilling the salt around the left side. Danny slung the pack over her shoulder and started to the right.

“The outer salt line shouldn’t be too far into the forest over there. It’s a thick line, so you can’t miss it.”

“Got it.” The tall redhead said as she poured.

Behind her, Father Theodore and Father Vordenberg were getting ready. In one hand they had laminated papers that contained the prayer of exorcism that they would recite, and their crosses in the other. Though they wouldn’t jump into action until the second circle was closed, trapping Lilita in the meadow. Laura sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying not to cough. They could do this. They could do this. They-

“ _The eagle has left the nest_ !” Kirsch yelled over the walkie. “ _I repeat: the eagle has left the nest, and is heading your way!_ ”

They could do this! Knowing Perry probably couldn’t handle being where the action was, Laura instructed her to hide behind a large-trunked tree not too far away. It would keep her out of sight but also allow her to keep an eye on LaFontaine and what was happening in the meadow. Perry didn’t argue and immediately ran for cover. Laura shifted her weight between her feet as they waited. A nervous habit of hers. The moonlight shone down and illuminated the sky and the meadow, but the once deep blue of the clear sky was becoming darker and darker, blocking the once wonderful view of the stars in the distance. It was covering them like a thick blanket. Soon, the sound of a big flock of birds caught Laura’s ear. The black mass, blacker than black, flew right over the top of them. Lilita had to have seen them, it was impossible not to with their flashlights out. But she continued on her way towards the asylum. No one was there that could report back what exactly she was doing, so all they could do was wait. In the meantime, Laura looked back to the other side of the meadow. Danny and LaFontaine were close to meeting their salt lines when Danny stopped, said something to LaFontaine, who nodded, then watched Danny take off in the direction toward the outer line. Just then a screech pierced their ears. It came from the direction of the asylum. She must have figured out that the blessed incense wasn’t just a wake up surprise.

It wasn’t long after that that Laura picked up on the anger the woman radiated. Pure hatred. It only got stronger and stronger until they heard the familiar sounds of her approaching once more. And once she came into view, Laura clenched her fists and yelled as loud as she could.

“Lilita Morgan!”

It seemed to have gotten the woman’s attention, making her pause in the middle of the meadow.

“We know what you’ve been doing since you died, and it needs to stop!” She continued.

A clump of the birds swirled around before the figure of the woman materialized, dark and featureless. She then swooped down towards Laura fast, making her gasp and fall backwards. A low laugh echoed in the meadow as she took her place back up in the air. Across the meadow, LaFontaine waved their arms, silently telling Laura to get out of the circle so that they could seal it. The blonde stood up and backed away, carefully stepping over the thick line. LaFontaine poured the rest of the salt needed to complete the line, then backed away towards the tree line. Danny reappeared moments later and jogged to join them before they walked together around the meadow.

“ _Foolish child._ ” The woman spat. “ _You think you’re so clever? Just wait until the smoke clears_.”

“Your worries are a lot bigger than smoke.”

The realization seemed to hit Lilita then. She turned, as if to see the thick salt line surrounding the meadow, entrapping her. There was nowhere for her to go. A low hum turned into a low rumble that vibrated the earth. Above them, the dark clouds in the sky spun slowly in a large circle. When the rumble got so loud that they nearly needed to cover their ears, a bolt of lightning came down then, hitting a tree nearby and slicing it right down the middle. Branches fell to the ground with loud thuds. Was she so powerful that she could actually control the weather? Or we their surroundings just reacting to the energy that she was putting out into the universe? Either way, this was a dangerous situation. Or at least more dangerous than what they had been expecting. As the singed tree smoked, the woman turned back to face her, and Laura continued to talk. She knew the priests would want to jump into action right about now, but there were still some things that she wanted to say, in hopes that she could make a difference.

“We know what happened to you. You lost your child. A child that didn’t have to die, but-”

“ _Don’t you dare talk about things you do not understand, little girl! You do not know what it means to be a mother. To care for another human being only to have them ripped away from you!_ ”

“I may not know what it feels like to lose a child, you’re right. But we’ve all lost someone that we care about. I lost my mother years ago, but I didn’t blame the world for it. Things happen. Bad things, but that’s a part of life.”

“ _Silence!_ ” The woman yelled. “ _Once I get out of here you’re going to wish that you’d have stayed away!”_

“No! This ends tonight!”

Laura saw Kirsch and Father Grant finally exist the forest on the other side of the meadow. She looked back and nodded at the priests. She’d done all that she could do, now it was time to let them do their job. She stepped back, giving them room to do their thing. As they read from their papers, Father Grant stayed in his spot on the other side of the circle while Father Vordenberg walked to Laura’s left, and Father Theodore took to the right. At the same time, LaFontaine and Danny had made it over to Perry. They talked back and forth for a few moments before Kirsch joined them, and they all made their way over to Laura. Laura stepped back into the treeline to meet them, feeling safer now that they were all together again. They watched as the priests came at Lilita from three sides, the prayer of exorcism being recited in a raised voice. It was clearly affecting the woman, who had dematerialized back into a mix of black mist and crows. They cawed loudly, agitated. The storm above them seemed to swirl faster, gaining speed until a funnel came down and melded with Lilita. She was mist, she was crows, she was clouds, she was...lightning. She looked like her own self-contained thunderstorm. The wind whipped Laura’s hair into her face, and rain soon started to sprinkle down. Yeah, she was definitely going to be sick after this. As the priests struggled to keep reciting the prayer in the increasingly bad conditions, thunder roared, wind blew, rain fell, and another bolt of lightning struck the ground this time.

Laura, Danny, LaF, Perry, and Kirsch watched in awe. Never had they seen anything like this before, and probably never again. Time almost felt like it was standing still, or just moving incredibly slow. Laura knew that exorcisms could take a while, but minutes felt like hours. But the priests were steadfast in their recitation. With each pass of the prayer, they got louder and louder, and the storm raged harder and harder. Laura wished that she could help more, but all she could do was watch. Her heartbeat thudded in her chest as everything was building up to its crescendo. She thought about the kids in the mansion and the people in the asylum. She thought about Mircalla, how she longed to be free but had resigned herself to an eternity of torture. She thought about how she had met Father Grant, and how he had been so willing and ready to take on this case. It was like the perfect storm bringing them all together for this moment. Her mom always said “everything happens for a reason”, and she really only understood that now. Just then as the priests finished the prayer once more, putting their heart and soul into every word they shouted, a force exploded from the storm that was Lilita and rippled through them, knocking everyone to the ground with a blinding light. As Laura lay on the ground, her ears ringed slightly. She would definitely have a headache coming on soon.

When she got her bearings again, she looked up and saw black bird feathers slowly falling to the earth, and the clouds above were starting to disperse, much like the energy in the air. Beside her, her friends were in the same condition she was, so she didn’t worry too much. They were going to be okay. It wasn’t even until Laura sat up that she saw a figure in the middle of the circle, laying hunched over on the ground. Without thinking about it, Laura pushed herself back onto her feet, mud squishing between her fingers as she did so, but she didn’t care, and started walking towards the figure on wobbly legs. She heard Danny call her name from behind her, but ignored it and stepped into the circle. She wasn’t afraid any more. The figure before her was no longer a scary, dark creature. She was a woman. A blonde-haired, middle-aged woman that looked like she could just be another one of Laura’s college professors, if her clothes didn’t happen to be so incredibly outdated.

“Lilita?” She asked softly, as not to frighten the woman.

There was a long pause, the moment feeling much longer now that the sky was silent, apart from a few raindrops still falling here and there.

“ _It wasn’t supposed to be this way_.” The woman whispered, broken.

Laura thought about that for a moment. Of all the things that wouldn’t have happened if Lilita’s child hadn’t died. Or if Lilita had just handled it better. Or if she knew then what she knew now, would she still have done it all?

“It doesn’t have to be anymore.” Laura finally replied, kneeling down to the woman’s level. “If you’re willing to forgive yourself and let it go…”

“ _So I can, what? Be judged? Go to Hell where I belong_?”

“No. So you can finally be reunited with your child again. Don’t you want that?”

The woman shut her eyes, looking like she was trying not to cry. “ _That’s all I’ve ever wanted_.” She replied, barely audible.

Laura could feel how desperate the woman was.

“All you have to do is ask for the Light.”

She opened her eyes and looked at Laura. “ _How do I know that it won’t be a trick_?”

“We all deserve happiness, Lilita. Even those of us who do bad things.”

Lilita looked like she was about to disagree, but then asked: “ _And what if the Light doesn’t come_?”

“It will. It comes to anyone who is ready to go into it.”

It was hard for Laura to explain the Light to someone. Especially to those to don’t believe it would ever welcome them. Lilita was obviously still not convinced. But the Light doesn’t judge. It’s bright, warm, and opens its figurative arms to everyone. But you have to make peace with yourself before it comes. Laura wasn’t attached to any particular religion, so maybe that’s why her words was harder to believe. So instead, she waved over Father Grant, who hadn’t been standing too far away. He motioned for Father Vordenberg and Father Theodore to join him. By this time, their crosses had been pocketed, and the prayer papers put away. Father Grant got to them first, and he kneeled down to Lilita’s level, much like Laura had done.

“We would like to help you, Lilita.” He said, voice soft but raspy from his yelling earlier.

Laura knew this was new for them too, and that he wasn’t exactly sure how to counsel a spirit such as her. But he was trying. That’s what is important.

Father Theodore came up behind Laura and knelt beside her. “We understand what you’ve been through. While we do not excuse it, we do understand.”

Father Vordenberg hobbled up to them now and slowly bent down to the ground on one knee. “We can pray for you, if you like.”

“ _Laura_!” A voice shouted from afar.

The blonde looked back over her shoulder and saw Mircalla coming out of the treeline and running towards her. It finally clicked in her head that it had worked. If Mircalla was here...than the spell had been broken. They were free. _She_ was free.

“Mircalla’s here.” Laura said out loud, letting the priests and Lilita know.

Once the girl realized that Laura didn’t seem to be in any danger, she slowed her run to a jog, then to a walk, coming to a stop a few feet from the group.

“ _I suppose you’ve waited a long time for this moment_.” Lilita said to Mircalla. “ _They say I need to forgive myself before I can go into the Light, but how am I supposed to when there are hundreds of people who would love to see me go to Hell_?”

Mircalla took a deep breath, clearly thinking about how to reply to a statement like that.

“ _There are things I’ve wanted to say to you for a long time_ .” Mircalla started. “ _But now...I can’t bring myself to._ ”

“ _Why_?” Lilita asked.

“ _Because I’m just so happy to be able to leave that Godforsaken place_.” She replied.

Mircalla looked like she was holding back a myriad of emotions, and all Laura wanted to do was wrap her arms around her and hold her tight.

“ _What you did was horrible. It was pure torture, and for years I’ve wanted nothing more than to get my hands around your throat to see how you like a taste of your own medicine.” She clenched her fists, trying to calm down. “But no one deserves to be stuck here. Not even you. So....I forgive you_.”

Lilita and Laura looked at Mircalla in stunned silence. Of all the things, they had not been expecting that to come out of her mouth.

“See?” Laura said after a few moments. “If Mircalla can forgive you, _you_ can forgive you.”

She then stood and gestured for Mircalla to follow her, letting the priests take over from there. And as they walked away, both could hear the faint words of a prayer.

**//**

Things weren’t completely over, though their main task was complete. The priests had guided Lilita into the Light successfully, but now there was two locations full of people to help crossover as well. Father Grant had suggested that Laura be there at both locations to tell the spirits that they were free, since they were more familiar with her than anyone. At the asylum, Mircalla gathered as many of the spirits as she could behind the asylum. And though Laura couldn’t see them without sitting down and concentrating, she talked to them like she could and explained what happened. Turns out they had felt the ripple too and knew something had happened, just didn’t know what. The news that they were free came as a shock, and immediately sent the entire group into a tizzy, a millions questions being asked at once. When they settled down after a few moments, Laura told them about the Light. And she introduced the priests in case anyone wanted help crossing over. The majority of population of the building was gone within thirty minutes, only the very non mentally sound remained because they just didn’t understand. Although absolutely exhausted, all three priests went in and saged the building, at the same time asking for any angels to come and help those who remained find the Light. When they finished, the asylum was empty. Laura ran her hand through her hair as she leaned against Danny’s car, eyeing Mircalla, who stood a few feet away from her, looking up at the building.

“What are you thinking about?” She asked softly.

Mircalla glanced at her and smiled before returning her gaze to the building. “ _That I’m not going to miss this place one bit_.”

Laura nodded to herself. She would be happy when she left and didn’t have to see this place again either.

“Are you ready?”

“ _To_?”

“Move on.”

Mircalla lowered her head, suddenly interested in her bare feet.

“Still afraid of what lies beyond?”

The girl simply shrugged, but Laura knew that she still had some doubts.

“You don’t have to be. Afraid, that is. The Other Side is wonderful.”

“ _How do you know_?” Mircalla asked, genuinely curious.

“Well, I’ve never had any complaints. And a couple people have come back to thank me for my help in crossing them over, and they described some things they were getting up to over here. So trust them, if not me.”

“ _Trust_ .” She whispered. “ _I haven’t trusted anyone in a long time. But I have to say, you’ve come the closest_.”

Laura would take that as a high compliment from the girl.

“ _I’m just not ready yet_.” She said with finality.

“Okay.”

There was no way that Laura was going to push her into something that she clearly didn’t want, and if she was being honest, she was happy that tonight wasn’t goodbye quite yet.

“So what are you going to do now that you can do anything you want?” She asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

“ _I must say, it’s a bit overwhelming. Being stuck here for so long...the idea that I can go far beyond the property line is such a foreign concept_ . _In life there were so many places I wanted to go, so many things I wanted to see_...”

“There’s so much out there. However will you choose where to go first?”

“ _I don’t know. Maybe I could use some help from a nosey psychic. Can you tell me my future_?”

“One, I’m not nosey! Two...unfortunately I’m not _that_ kind of psychic. _But_ , I still wouldn’t mind helping.”

“ _Good_ .” She smiled faintly. “ _Now I just have find a spot I can come back to, to recharge when I need it, somewhere that’s definitely not here_.”

The idea had already been in Laura’s head the second she realized that Mircalla was going to stay (at least for a little while) and it was ready to spill out of her mouth, so she threw all caution to the wind and just put the idea out there.

“You could, uh, come home with me. Until you figure things out...”

Mircalla turned and they locked eyes. “ _You’re really something else, Cupcake. Figured I’d been enough trouble in your life that you couldn’t wait to get rid of me_.”

While her tone was playful, Laura could tell that there was some truth to that statement.

“Of course not.” She cleared her throat. “Believe it or not, I actually like your company. Even when you’re being...vexing.”

Mircalla chuckled. “ _What can I say? It’s the one thing I’m good at_.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“ _You may believe it soon enough, unless you change your mind about boarding me in your home_.”

“I’m not going to change my mind.”

“ _And what about your roommates_?”

“They...don’t know yet. But I’m sure they’ll have no problem with it. You’re harmless after all.”

“ _Harmless? Maybe you shouldn’t underestimate me. I could wreak havoc if I wanted to_.”

“And are you going to?”

Mircalla paused for a moment.

“ _No...but I could_.”

“Uh huh.”

They stood there smiling at each other for a few moments before Father Grant came up behind Laura.

“Is there someone else that needs assistance?” He asked.

He must have seen her talking to no one.

“Uh, no, Mircalla has just decided to stay earthbound a little longer.”

“Ah.” He nodded. “Well, we were about to head over to the mansion, if you’re ready?”

“Yes, of course.”

There night was not over yet.

All three priests, Mircalla, and Laura got into their rental car and headed to the mansion with the promise of meeting everyone else back at the house in a little bit. On their way there, Mircalla couldn’t help but marvel at the engineering of modern cars. Sure, she’d seen a few over the years when someone came to the mansion, but she’s never been inside of one.

“ _It’s a very smooth ride_ …” She muttered as she ran her fingers along the upholstery. “ _The road isn’t as bumpy as I remember_.”

Laura couldn’t help but find it adorable. So many things that she wanted to show Mircalla came to mind, but it would have to wait for now.

When they arrived at the mansion, Laura was greeted with a crowd of children at the door. She couldn’t see them with her eyes, but she could hear them and feel touches against her skin and tugs on her clothes. They were excitedly telling her that even though Lilita had come that night and took their energy, a little while ago they miraculously gained it back, and asked her what she had done to make it happen. Laura asked the entire mansion of spirits to come outside so she could explain to everyone. Some were resistant, according to Mircalla, who could see many of them huddling just inside the door, or just carefully watching what was going on out the windows. Laura had told them what happened just hours before, and that they never had to worry about Lilita Morgan again. It was then that the girl who Laura had talked to on previous occasions gave her a bit more of their story. Apparently when they died in the fire, they hadn’t realized it at first. They were all still there, together, and it was thought that a miracle had saved them all. It wasn’t until they looked carefully at the charred remains of the school and found their bodies. Laura could only imagine how traumatizing that would have been. It was then that the teachers, trying to protect the children, moved them away from what was left of the school house. They hadn’t gotten far when Lilita had approached them, telling them she had a safe place she could take them where she could explain everything. She lead them to this mansion, but the adults caught on to the fact that Lilita had something nefarious in mind. The adults gathered as many kids as they could, asked for the Light, and disappeared before the spell had been complete. It had all happened so fast. The ones left were confused as to what had happened, but when they tried to leave, they couldn’t. They were trapped in the mansion. Laura listened quietly as the girl relayed their story, and she abbreviated it for the priests.

“I’m so incredibly sorry that this happened to you, children.” Father Grant said. “We are here because you no longer have to stay here in this run down mansion, and we can help you with going into the Light if you wish. Or if you would just like a prayer.”

“You don’t have to be afraid.” Laura added. “If you’re ready to move on, all you have to do is ask for the Light. It will come now that the spell is broken. In there you will find your families, who I’m sure are anxiously awaiting you.”

That seemed to really get the attention of the children, and as Mircalla described, quite a few of the kids held each other’s hands, and asked for the Light. She said they disappeared with smiles on their faces, and even though she couldn’t see it, Laura let herself cry happy tears. _This_ is why she does what she does. It’s not about going out and getting a thrilling scare. It’s not about getting the evidence to prove that spirits exist. It’s about helping people get to where they need to be. Laura wondered if she’d get to see any of them again one day. She hoped so. And just then, a cold, soft hand made it’s way into hers, feeling like velvet against her skin. Gazing up through blurry vision, she saw that it was Mircalla. It must be taking a good amount of energy to be able for Laura to feel her so solidly. So she gently squeezed back, silently letting the girl know that the support was welcome and appreciated. Laura savored the feeling for as long as she could, not wanting to let go, but after a while Mircalla’s energy decreased, and slowly but surely her touch faded.


	10. Chapter 10

The ride home from the mansion was quiet. Laura drove as Father Theodore sat in the front passenger seat, looking as exhausted as she felt, while Mircalla was in the backseat. The girl mostly stared out the window as the countryside blurred by. Laura hadn’t told anyone that the girl was hitching a ride and staying at their house, but she didn’t want to have to go through the explanation tonight. She was tired, and just wanted to take a quick, hot shower before going to bed. She deserved that much. As they entered town, she looked up into the rearview mirror just in time to notice Mircalla’s posture change. The girl had been relaxed the entire ride until they passed a few buildings, then she leaned up against the door and looked out with great interest. It took a few seconds to hit Laura, but she realized that Mircalla hadn’t seen anything but the asylum and the woods for decades, so of course she’d be curious about the new surroundings. She watched Mircalla transform from calm adult to what she would equate to an excited kid. Of course it was fairly subtle, but it put a smile on Laura’s face for the rest of the ride home, passing bars with glowing neon signs, the library, and finally onto the school campus where they pulled into the driveway and stopped. Mircalla was the first out out of the car, simply just standing up and stepping through the door. Laura let her take a look around as she got out and met Father Theodore halfway around the front of the car, handing him the keys to the rental car.

A few seconds later, Father Vordenberg’s car pulled in next to theirs. Him, LaFontaine, and Perry got out. Perry looked a big shell-shocked, but relieved as well. Probably the most grateful out of everyone that this whole ordeal was over. LaF on the other hand, though clearly tired, also had that twinkle in their eye that told her they couldn’t wait to get inside and transcribe everything that had happened tonight before putting it their case file. No doubt that tonight they would most likely fall asleep with it in their hands. Danny arrived next, parking her car along the curb by the mailbox. While she had been all in earlier, Laura wondered how this would affect the girl’s beliefs. Even though that was really none of her business, she couldn’t help but be curious to what she thought after everything that she’s seen now. The tall redhead walked up the short drive and joined them before they all stepped up onto the porch, moving out of the way of Kirsch’s friend’s car, that was driven by him, with Father Grant next to him. As both men exited the vehicle, Laura stepped out in front of the group and held out her hand.

“I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done, Father.”

He smiled, encasing her hand in both of his. “Miss Hollis, you are more than welcome. There is nothing more satisfying than helping lost souls go find Home once again.”

With that said, it was pretty quiet, no one really knowing what else to say. It wasn’t until Perry excused herself to go inside that Father Grant said that since it was so late, they should probably get going. And even though Laura offered for them to stay the night, they insisted they would get a hotel room for the night. And so they said their goodbyes, with promises for Laura to contact their church if they ever needed anything again, and all three then they got into their rental car and drove off. Laura, Kirsch, LaFontaine, Perry, Danny and Mircalla were left.

“So _that_ happened.” Danny said, breaking the silence.

“Couldn’t have done it without you, D-Bear.” Kirsch said before lovingly patting her on the back.

“Didn’t think you’d actually come.” LaF said, as they made their way over to the front door. “Glad you did though.”

Danny nodded and both LaF, Perry and Kirsch headed inside. Leaving her and Laura alone on the porch. The blonde glanced over to the driveway, seeing Mircalla was in the same spot she saw her in last, gazing up at the sky. Turning back to Danny, Laura took this opportunity to lift herself up onto her tippy-toes and wrap her arms around Danny’s neck, squeezing hard.

“Thank you for coming.”

She felt Danny hug her back lightly, patting her back.

“Sorry I’ve been a jerk.”

Laura let out a sigh and pulled away. “You’re forgiven.” She reassured. “I know that it’s really hard for some people to believe in things that we don’t understand…”

“Well, I can’t really deny it now…” The tall redhead admitted with a frown. “Guess I’m going to have to figure out what that means moving forward.”

Laura nodded, knowing the feeling. “You know where to find us if you need to talk.”

“Thanks, Hollis.” Danny bumped her arm into Laura’s. “I should get back home now. It’s late.”

“Right. Yeah. Sorry.” Laura stumbled over her words. "We’ll talk soon. Okay?”

“Okay.”

With that exchange, Laura felt a lot better about where their friendship was now heading. Before tonight, she thought that she may have to just let Danny go, because having such a staunch skeptic as a friend was more of stressor than anything. But with Danny having witnessed that there is more to life than what she’d previously known...well, it could only get better from here, right? She waved as Danny pulled her car out of the driveway and headed home before walking over to where Mircalla was still standing. She joined her in looking up at the stars, where every once in awhile a shooting star would streaking across the sky.

“ _No matter what happened in my life...or death, the stars were always there. It’s comforting, somehow_.”

Laura was a bit surprised at that. She would have thought that anything that stayed the same would be just a reminder of her situation. Maybe she would ask Mircalla about it later, but right now, she was so tired that she could barely think straight.

“Come on, let’s get inside. It’s been a long day.”

She lead the way, and held the front door open for Mircalla to walk through, then closed and locked it behind them.

“So, uh, welcome to our humble abode. Don’t be afraid to make yourself comfortable. Mi casa es su casa.”

Mircalla turned and gave her a weird look. “ _Pardon_?”

“Oh, it just means my house is your house...and all that jazz.”

All that jazz? She mentally smacked herself. She realized now that with their predicament taken care of, she really didn’t know what to say to the girl.

“So, this is the living room. The kitchen is through that door on the left. On the right is our office. And, uh, my bedroom is upstairs.”

Lord, could she _be_ more awkward?

Instead of embarrassing herself further, she lead the way up the stairs, leaving Mircalla to follow behind.

“So I’m going to take a quick shower. Like I said, make yourself comfortable.” She said as she opened dresser drawers, gathering up undies, a long sleeved shirt, and pajama bottoms.

She saw the girl tentatively sit down at the end of the bed before she closed herself in the bathroom. This was a turn of events that she hadn’t seen coming. There was a spirit girl in her bedroom. A cute spirit girl. A definite first. Hell, she hadn’t ever even had a _living_ girl in her bedroom, so she didn’t quite to know what to make of this quite yet. Laura just hoped that she could stop being so awkward. That would help. Thankfully as she showered, letting the warm water trail over her body, soothing her soreness and loosening her muscles, she felt herself unwind emotionally as well. By the time she got out and dried herself off, she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. Her hair was still damp when she pulled it into a sloppy ponytail and got dressed, which would usually bother her, but tonight she couldn’t bring herself to care. When Laura exited the bathroom and no longer saw Mircalla, she figured that the girl had left. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness, but she didn’t blame her. She was free for the first time in decades, so of course she would want to be out and about. With that thought, it made Laura feel a little better as she got in bed and settled into the covers. It’s not only been a long day, but a long couple months. With school _and_ dealing with the whole Lilita situation in her spare time, she was so beat that it was almost plausible that she could sleep for days. Yawning, she let herself stretch out her limbs before curling up to her favorite pillow. However, when she closed her eyes and let herself start to relax, she felt a presence. Mircalla wasn’t as far away as she had thought...

“Mircalla?” She asked out loud into her seemingly empty bedroom.

“ _Yeah, Cupcake_?”

Laura frowned, the voice coming from over the other side of the bed. She sat up and crawled to the other side before looking down at the floor. There was Mircalla, laying with one hand behind her head and the other resting on her stomach. Her eyes were closed, but Laura obviously knew that she wasn’t sleeping. Or resting. Or whatever it is that she did to recharge.

“ _Are you going to ask me something, or are you just going to keep staring at me_?” She asked, before opening one eye to peek at her, then smirked.

“Uh, yeah, is there a reason you’re on the floor?”

“ _Well, it’s better than the chair in the corner that has a pile of clothes on it_.”

To be honest, she hadn’t exactly thought about what would be Mircalla’s recharging situation. Laura cursed herself for being a terrible host before she made a bold suggestion on a whim.

“You can lay up here with me.”

It was then that Mircalla opened both her eyes, and the expression on her face went from amusement to surprise. Laura didn’t know if it was good, bad, both, or neither, so she tried to backtrack a little.

“I mean, you don’t have to. It was just a suggestion. There’s a sofa in the office downstairs that pulls out into a bed if you’d feel more comfortable-”

“ _Cutie_.”

A few seconds passed before she gathered herself enough to answer, the only sound was Laura’s heart thudding loudly in her ears. “Yes?”

“ _Scoot over_.”

Laura blankly stared at her for a moment, not sure that she heard what she thought that she did, then scurried back onto the other side of the bed. Way to act casual, Hollis. She cleared her throat awkwardly before laying down again, trying not to act weird, but still fidgeting with the covers for a few seconds before rolling over onto her side to turn her lamp off.

“ _Can you leave that on_?” Mircalla spoke again, her voice soft and directly behind Laura now.

The blonde retracted her hand and laid on her back once more, turning her head to look over at Mircalla, who was now laying comfortably on the other side of the bed. Laura’s bed wasn’t huge, but there was about a pillow’s space between them. A comfortable distance for both of them.

“ _Thank you_.”

Laura saw a mix of vulnerability and sadness in Mircalla’s eyes, and she wondered just how much the girl had gone through, not just in the asylum, but in life as well. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and hug her. She couldn’t help it, it was in her nature to care for others. Most certainly she’d gotten it from her mom. However, she refrained. So for now, all she could do was give her a small smile that she hoped was reassuring, before settling into her pillow and letting her eyes close.

**//**

The next day when Laura woke up, it was just after noon judging by how much light was shining into the room through the curtains. She was still a little tired, but she couldn’t waste the day away. When she rolled over, she was greeted with a surprise. Mircalla was still laying there, slightly closer to the center of the bed than last night, and this time she seemed to be asleep. Her face was completely relaxed and her lips were slightly parted as she breathed slowly. Laura took a minute to really look at her. Her features were starting to soften up again, a little more color returning to her face, that was framed with gentle waves of black silky hair. Laura thought Mircalla was even more beautiful up close, and this was the closest they’ve ever been to each other. After a few moments though, the blonde kinda to feel like a creeper, so she quietly got out of bed, picked out some clothes, and went to the bathroom to change. She spent some time combing through her hair before putting it back up, and applying a little makeup under her eyes so she looked less tired. Thankfully she only had two classes to get through today. When she exited the bathroom fifteen minutes later, Mircalla was now awake and standing at her window, gazing out into the street. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much of a view of anything from their house, but the girl appeared content.

“Good morning.” She greeted. “How are you feeling?”

“ _Better than I have in a long time_.” Mircalla replied simply.

Laura smiled and walked over to her, leaning against the wall. “So, you’re a free woman. What do you plan on doing first?”

The girl bit her lip then started to fidget with her fingers as she thought. “ _I don’t know yet. Is that bad_?”

“No. You have plenty of time to figure it out.”

Mircalla shifted on her feet and lowered her head like she was self-conscious. “ _Thinking of places I had always read about is what kept me going in the worst of times, but now that I can go to those places anytime I want...it’s overwhelming_.”

Laura could only imagine.

“Well, there is no rush. Take it easy for a little while, get used to the idea, and start small.”

“ _Small_?”

“Like, uh, well…” She thought quickly on her feet, blurting out an answer without really thinking it through. “I have classes today. Would you like to tag along? I could show you around campus.”

Again, like last night, Mircalla looked surprised at Laura’s suggestion, thinking about it for a few seconds before nodding. “ _I think I would like that very much_.”

There was something in Mircalla’s voice that really hit Laura. Maybe it was the combination of the softness of her voice and her almost shy behavior, since it was such a stark difference from how she had presented herself every time they met at the asylum. The tough girl attitude had subsided the more they had talked, but now it seemed to have just been shed away completely. Laura wondered if this is what Mircalla had been like when she was alive, and now that she didn’t have to put on a front to survive, if her true self was finally able to come back out for the first time in a long time. The blonde was happy at this new development, because it meant that Mircalla was comfortable around her, which was probably the best compliment she could receive.

“ _I always wanted to attend college_ .” Mircalla said thoughtfully. “ _But Mother and Father thought it was improper for a young lady. I never understood that_.”

“Being a woman back then must have been incredibly frustrating.”

“ _But as I learned, there were worse things in life than not being able to go to college_ …”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” Laura said empathetically. “If you ever want to vent about it, I’ve been told that even though I talk a lot, I can be a good listener.”

Mircalla chuckled. “ _A conversation for another time. We have class soon, don’t we_?”

Laura looked at her watch. “Oh, yes! Forty-five minutes to be exact!”

Rushing over to her closet, she slid on her pair of tennis shoes and grabbed her bookbag, slinging it over her shoulder before she looked back at the girl who was watching her from her place at the window, eyebrow raised.

“I don’t know if you need to do anything to get ready or?”

Contrary to popular belief, she didn’t know everything there was to know about ghostly things, so she had no idea if the girl wanted to like, comb her hair or anything. Not that she needed to. Her hair was great the way it is, parted slightly off center and wavy down past her shoulders.

“ _Cupcake, no one but you can see me. And unfortunately, it can’t really get better than this_.”

It made Laura sad the way Mircalla seemed to view herself. She was stunning, even in her dirty asylum garb. But she stopped herself from saying it out loud, because she would probably only end up being embarrassing herself. She didn’t want it to be obvious that she has a little crush.

“Alright then, let’s get this show on the road.” She finally said before opening her door and heading downstairs.

She hopped over the last step and landed with a thud, earning her a frown from Perry when she entered the kitchen. She’d been given a safety lesson by the curly-haired redhead more than once about it, but sometimes she just forgot. It was a habit. Something she’d done at her home for years. However, this morning she didn’t stop to sit and eat like she usually did. She already slept later than planned, so that left no time for a nice hearty breakfast. Instead, she opened a cabinet that she could barely reach, and pulled out a Lucky Charms breakfast cereal bar, and flew back out the way she came, but not without the expected urgings of Perry to slow down. When she made it back out to the living room, Mircalla was waiting for her by the front door. They both left and started walking down the street, staying quiet for a few minutes until Laura started to unwrap her breakfast.

“ _What’s that_?”

Laura took a bite and answered with her mouth full. “A cereal bar.”

“ _What does it taste like_?”

She finished chewing as she pondered. What did Lucky Charms taste like?

“Sugar and marshmallows.” She decided on.

“ _That can’t be healthy for breakfast_.”

“Not healthy, but quick.” She pointed out. “I usually have bacon, eggs, and toast, but I slept later today than I normally do, so I didn’t have time.”

Laura took another bite before thinking about what Mircalla would have eaten for breakfast in the 1920s. She’d never done research into that era, and didn’t know much other than the brief description of what the treatment of mental health was like.

“Can I ask you something?”

“ _Sure_.”

Laura wasn’t sure if she would be being insensitive, but she remembered when Mircalla told her she didn’t have to beat around the bush when using the word “dead”. So she went for it.

“So you miss it?”

“ _What_?

“Food.”

Mircalla hesitated a moment before replying. “ _Yes_.”

“Oh.” She looked down at the rest of her cereal bar and starts to wrap it up.

“ _You don’t have to do that on my account, Sweetheart. Besides, I always hated marshmallows_.”

She wasn’t sure if that was true, or the girl was just trying to make her feel better.

“Are you sure?”

“ _Yes. Now if you were eating, say, a fresh caesar salad....or roast duck, then I would be jealous_.”

“Sounds fancy.”

“ _I came from a very well off family. Only the best for the Karnsteins_.”

Laura took another bite of her cereal bar as she tried to imagine what Mircalla’s life would have been like back then. Her only point of reference was The Great Gatsby.

“So you definitely weren’t a flapper, then.”

Mircalla laughed, music to Laura’s ears. She hoped to be hearing it on a consistent basis.

“ _No, no. That would have given my parents heart attacks, sending them to early graves. But I did admire those women. Secretly, of course_. ”

“It’s so hard for me to imagine a time where women being socially and sexually liberated was a new thing that people saw as so shocking. I mean, we still have our problems in this day and age, but it’d be so interesting to be there when it was happening.”

“ _You should have seen the horror on my mother’s face when she saw a group of women in our town strutting down the street in trousers_.”

Laura shook her head. “I’ve never understood that logic. Men wanted women to cover up, yet when they wore the thing that covered them up the most, trousers, they lost their shit.”

“ _Nobody said it had to make sense_.”

“True.”

Coming up on campus, Laura took the last bite of her cereal bar and threw the wrapper in a trash bin that they passed on their way to the building where he first class was located.  

“ _What kind of classes are you taking_?”

“Well, I’ve taken an array of different courses over the last three years, like Photography, English Literature, Psychology, Race and Gender Studies, just to name a few. But I’m majoring in Journalism.”

“ _That’s nice to hear. When I was alive, Journalism was_ _considered a man’s profession_.”

“Unfortunately, most fields are still considered men’s professions, but there are more and more women entering those fields.”

“ _It doesn’t seem like too much has changed since I was alive_...”

“I guess not, when you really think about it. Sure, people get called out on that kind of stuff more, and we have progressed in a lot of ways, but ultimately we’re still stuck in a rut.”

Laura stopped talking then, not only because she was thinking to herself about the state of the world like she hadn’t exactly before, but because they were both walking past more people who were on their way to classes themselves and she didn’t really want to look crazy talking to herself. Mircalla seemed fine with the silence and kept in pace beside her, even when she was being walked through by unknowing students. She didn’t seem to mind that either. When they made it into her class, which was already half full since they had taken their time walking, Laura decided to do something she never did: sit in the back. She’d been referred to as a teacher’s pet pretty much all of her life, and she didn’t deny it. She loved sitting in the very front where the teacher could see her and she could see the board easily for taking notes. There were just less distractions that way. But now Mircalla was with her, and honestly, she wanted to be able to whisper back and forth with her without attracting attention. So she crossed the front of the class and headed up the stairs. She did receive a few confused looks from people who actually paid attention in class enough to know that she was very active, but other than that, she made it up to the top row without issue. Not like there would have been one anyway, she didn’t have any friends in this particular course, so there was no one she had to explain things to. Right now, at least. Her next class was with LaFontaine, so no doubt there would be some sort of conversation about it.

Mircalla jumped in her seat when the bell rang, signalling class has started. Laura reached out for the girl’s arm with concern, but it went right through her. While she mentally berated herself for forgetting that would happen, Mircalla turned to her and put her hand over the top on hers. Surprisingly, she could feel something. A very slight pressure accompanied by tingling. Laura was aware that spirits could touch people, but she’s never been touched herself. In a way, she was glad that Mircalla was the first spirit she felt. But as soon as she got used to the feeling, Mircalla removed her hand and went back to looking around the large room. Laura wished she would stop being so affected by this girl. Having a crush on a dead person wasn’t very healthy. But she guessed the saying was right: You always want what you can’t have. Though even if she could “have” Mircalla, the girl was from a much different time. She most likely would not be into her. They were just too different. Oh, and apparently straight people exist. It may sound funny, but with the exception of Kirsch, all her friends fell under the Queer spectrum, so it was easy to forget. She wondered what dating was like back then for Mircalla. Maybe she would ask her later if the opportunity arose. Sure, she could probably find a book in the library about it, but as a soon to be journalist (and just a curious person), first hand accounts were everything. But for the next hour and fifteen minutes, Laura focused on listening to her professor lecture about the human memory in her Psychology class, taking notes all the while.

Mircalla didn’t talk as much as Laura had anticipated. She expected to be asked a lot of questions, but every time she would look up from her notes and glance over at the girl, she was leaning forward in her chair, transfixed by all the new information. No doubt that she was absorbing it like a sponge. Laura had the thought of asking Mircalla if she wanted to read through her textbook before the year was over and she sold it. It wasn’t until the bell rang once more and the majority of the class had made their way out the door that the girl finally spoke.

“ _I have to say, that was quite fascinating. I was interested in the works of Sigmund Freud as a teenager, but I never got to read anything other than one book of his...and then I never got to finish it. It had to be snuck in and out of the house by my housekeeper_.”

Laura looked around for any possibly eavesdroppers, then replied quietly as she gathered her things to leave. “While he was revolutionary for his time, over the years his theories have proven to be terrible, and just plain wrong. His views on women and homosexuality are what really piss me off.”

“ _What did he say_?” Mircalla asked softer.

Laura glanced up from packing her backpack and noticed Mircalla was fidgeting with her fingers and avoiding eye contact. It must be a subject that was rarely brought up around her. No wonder she was curious.

“About which one?”

“... _The latter_.”

“Basically that everyone is born bisexual but then later on ended up being either gay or straight. Like what? I don’t understand how he could believe we’re born bi and some wouldn’t end up staying bi, but I try to remind myself that he was of a very different era than mine. I mean, we can’t deny that he was progressive for his time for not believing homosexuality was a disease, but he still thought it was possible in some cases for someone to be converted to straight if the person _really_ wanted it.”

“ _And that’s not true_?”

“We are who we are, Mircalla. It’s taken a long time, but the world is finally starting to wise up to the fact that anyone other than straight is not acting out for attention, trying to piss off God or their parents. Because, really, who would chose to be an outcast? Whatever someone identifies as, it’s just another trait that makes them unique.”

Laura put on her bookbag and gestured for Mircalla to follow down the stairs and out of class. She wondered what the girl thought about the world now and how much has changed. It must be a big culture shock, and by the looks of it, Mircalla didn’t seem to really know how to deal with it. But as long as she chose to stay around, Laura vowed to be the best friend and educator that she could be.


	11. Chapter 11

“So you mean to tell me that there will be a ghost living in our house for an undetermined amount of time?” LaF asked from their chair in the living room.

She didn’t know exactly how LaF would react to this news. Last year, Laura knew they would be ecstatic, but these past few months had been very stressful, and she wouldn’t blame them for wanting to get away from the paranormal for a while and finish the rest of the school year in peace.

“Yes.” Laura replied, sitting down on the sofa next to Mircalla.

They nodded slowly. “Cool.”

Laura raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah, I mean she’s been here a couple days and none of us even noticed, so it’s not like she’s an inconvenience.”

“Do you think Perry will be okay with it?”

“I’ll talk to her, but yeah. It’s not like Mircalla’s out to scare anybody, so it should be fine. But I have to ask...is she here right now?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then, uh, Mircalla? Since you’re going to be staying here rent free, would it be okay if I asked you to participate in an experiment every once in awhile?”

Laura looked over to Mircalla, who sat there in silence for a few moments.

“ _Depends. What is the mad scientist thinking_?”

“What did you have in mind?” Laura asked for her.

“Tests to see if she can move objects, if she can materialize herself so we can see, or if we can determine what source she gets the most energy from. Stuff like that.”

Mircalla thought about it for a couple seconds. To be honest, she was a bit curious about those things as well. Though she knew moving objects was something that she could do before Maman came and started sucking her dry nightly, it had never been anything too big. Sliding a pair of scissors off the table here, closing a door and locking it there, a pressing of a button or a pulling of clothing. She wondered what she was capable of doing with all of the energy that she had now. Finally, she nodded to Laura.

Laura smiled in return and looked back to LaFontaine. “Sounds like a deal.”

“Sweet.”

Mircalla also thought that helping the scientist out every once in awhile was a fair trade for her staying at their house for the time being. And the experiments would make her feel like she was being productive. The past few days, she had what felt like restless legs, feeling like she needed to be doing _something_ with all the energy she has built up inside of her. To try and alleviate that feeling, when she wasn’t attending classes with Laura, they took walks around town. They spend quite a bit of time on campus though, mainly the library since Laura had a lot of studying to do. Mircalla quite liked it because she had basically an unlimited selection of books at her fingertips. They would find an empty aisle and sit down next to each other, so they wouldn’t have to worry about anyone seeing a book’s pages turning by itself. It kept Mircalla busy, but there was that itch that she couldn’t scratch...

**//-//**

Finally after a week of freedom, Mircalla asked Laura to tell LaF that she wanted to participate in an experiment. To say that the short-haired redhead was excited about her enthusiasm was an understatement. They had immediately set up a testing area in the small basement. Mircalla rolled her eyes at them, since they couldn’t see her, but secretly awaited anxiously as everything was set up and objects laid out on the cold cement floor. There were some LEGOs, a stress ball, and a stick of deodorant (which Mircalla raised an eyebrow at).

“We’ve got to work with what we’ve got.” Laura said, shrugging.

“Each item is a slightly different weight, so I want to see if that makes much of a difference when Mircalla tries to move them. We can always move onto bigger and heavier things at a later date.” LaFontaine said, moving the camera to get all three items in the shot. “And while this may not look very scientific, I am conducting it as such. Laura, can you close the door?”

“Oh, yeah!” Laura said before she jogged up the stairs and shut the door, blocking out any noise that Perry was making in the kitchen.

“Thanks.” LaF replied. “Okay, now the camera is ready. Laura go ahead and take a seat, and Mircalla...well, if you need to do anything to prepare yourself, go ahead.”

“ _Do they think I need to do stretches or something_?” Mircalla asked sarcastically.

Laura sat down on the third step up from the ground and rolled her eyes. “Mircalla’s ready.”

“Cool. Okay. Well, here goes nothing. Camera is recording...now. Today is October twelfth, two thousand sixteen. This is experiment one with our friendly neighborhood ghost Mircalla to see if she can manipulate the objects on the table.” LaFontaine smile and nodded. “Mircalla, can you move the ball that’s on the table? I know it may be difficult, but harness your energy and focus in on the ball. You can do it.”

“ _If they are going to talk to me like a child this whole time, I may reconsider doing these experiments_.” The girl replied before kneeling in front of the table.

Laura bit her tongue to keep from replying, and watched Mircalla close her eyes to focus her energy, much like she did when she wanted to see the spirits that she talks to. The girl then reached over the table and gave the ball a little push. It slowly rolled off of the table and bounced its way over to the corner of the basement. Mircalla sighed with satisfaction, not just because she got the object to move, but because that itch she felt was a little less prominent now.

“Awesome.” LaF whispered before clearing their throat and turned their voice serious. “I mean... _fascinating_.”

“ _What can I say? I am a woman of many talents_.”

Laura shook her head, acting like Mircalla was annoying her, but it was quite the opposite. It was interesting to watch her, and her commentary was entertaining. But she wasn’t going to tell the girl that. She didn’t want to be a distraction while the camera was going. It was time to document, not banter.

“Thank you, Mircalla. Now...do you think you could do something to the LEGOs?”

There were three pieces sitting in front of her. One red, one blue, and one yellow. She chose the red and attempted to pick it up and put it on top of the blue. She was out of practice, so it ended up falling through her fingers and back onto the table with a clatter. She had lifted it a couple inches nonetheless, and LaFontaine was pleased.

“Fantastic!” They said from behind the camera, nearly giddy. “Mircalla, if you still have any energy left, can you move the deodorant? I know it’s heavier than the other two items, but try your hardest.”

“ _They’re really asking for a slap against the back of the head. Keep talking like that, Ginger, and you’re going to get a nice surprise_.”

Laura stifled a laugh and made a note to talk to LaFontaine about that when they were done. Mircalla channeled her annoyance into energy, and with a swift swipe of her hand, made the deodorant fly off the table and just miss LaFontaine’s leg by a hair.

“Whoa…” They said, turning the camera to show the deodorant stick where it now rested against the wall. “I guess you did have some energy left. Thank you, Mircalla.” LaFontaine turned the camera back to the table and ended the experiment session. “Experiment one, complete.” They pressed the off button and smiled at Laura. “That went exceptionally well.”

Laura stood from the steps and came down to stand next to her friend. “Uh, LaF? Mircalla would like me to relay something to you.”

“Of course, anything.”

“Well…” She looked over at Mircalla, who was now standing with her arms crossed across her chest. “She would be more inclined to participate if you didn’t talk to her like she was a child. She’s technically older than all of us by decades.”

“Oh…” The redhead deflated. “I’m sorry, Mircalla, I didn’t realize that’s what I was doing.”

“ _No hard feelings, just don’t do it again_.” Mircalla said.

“She said she won’t hold it against you, just...be mindful next time.”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course.” LaF continued, then talked in the general area they believed Mircalla was. “And I’m very grateful for your willing participation. You did great. It’s incredibly hard to get paranormal activity to happen on command, so this is groundbreaking stuff.”

Mircalla didn’t feel like she was providing groundbreaking evidence, but what she did feel was better now that she’s expended some energy. Technically she could do a few more things if she were asked, but it seemed as though this first experiment was done. The itch inside of her wasn’t fully relieved, but she felt a lot better than she had earlier. It was good to get some of the energy out of her naturally, not forcibly taken. It was something that she was looking forward to getting used to.  

**//-//**

“I can’t believe you’ve never seen The Wizard of Oz!” Laura exclaimed, before flying off the living room sofa and over to the DVD stand by the TV.

 _“Sorry, Cutie, I was preoccupied with you know, being dead_.”

Laura shot a look over her shoulder before turning back, finding the DVD she was looking for, and placing the disc into the DVD player. “It’s a classic movie that everyone needs to see at least once in their lifetime.” She said, grabbing the remote off of the coffee table and taking back her place on the sofa next to Mircalla. “Have you ever seen a film in color before?”

“ _No, that too was a few years after my time_.”

Laura grinned. “Prepare to have your mind blown.”

“ _That doesn’t sound pleasant_.”

“Just trust me.” She urged, picking a piece of popcorn from the bowl beside her and popping it into her mouth.

Mircalla settled into the sofa as the sepia opening of the movie began. She had read a few of the Wizard of Oz books before her Mother had deemed them “too childish” for a girl her age. She remembered liking them, wanting to go on adventures in a magical land like Dorothy, far away from her parents and the society that kept her locked tight inside a box that she wanted nothing more than to break out of. And then once she did, she was locked away in the asylum. The price she paid for trying to be her own person and not the perfect, obedient daughter that her parents wanted. As she watched Dorothy’s house they thrown around by the cyclone and crash, she couldn’t help but compare that to how she felt just a few days ago. The cyclone that was Maman had finally spit them all out, and now the silence that followed was deafening. What did she do with her life now? Dorothy opened the front door of the sepia house to reveal the bright colorful world of Oz, and Mircalla was mesmerized. It was so beautiful. The lush green of the trees, the deep blue of the water, the bright yellow of the brick road. She couldn’t help but still compare things in her mind. The opening of the door for Dorothy was like Mircalla when she was released from Maman’s spell. A whole new world lay before her to explore, but eventually, she knew that she had to go home in the end. But unlike Dorothy, she didn’t want to. At least, not yet. There were too many unanswered questions she had. Maybe once she got those answers though, she would consider it.

“ _May I ask a favor of you_?” Mircalla asked, then bit her lip nervously.

Laura paused the movie and turned toward the girl. “Anything.”

“ _I know you’re busy with schoolwork, but can you do some research on my parents_?”

That was definitely not what the blonde had been expecting, but agreed. “Of course. What exactly do you want to know?”

“ _I just...am curious as to what happened to them after I died. That’s all._ ”

Laura could tell that Mircalla didn’t really want to talk about it in depth, at least not right now, and that was more than okay. She would be more than happy to do some digging. If she were in Mircalla’s position, she would be dying with curiosity to know what had happened to her parents. Though it was pretty apparent that the girl didn’t have as close of a relationship with them as Laura had with hers.

“We can start researching tomorrow.” She said, reaching over and putting her hand on Mircalla’s.

At first her hand went through the one below hers, but then quickly she felt it become solid. Like before, a cool, soft hand found it’s way into hers, turning over and interlocking their fingers. Butterflies fluttered around in Laura’s stomach as she let her thumb gently rub the ghostly skin of Mircalla’s delicate hand. She soon realized what she was doing, so to not make it awkward, she retrieved the remote with her other hand and pushed the play button, continuing the movie in silence and without any other interruptions. They held hands for a long while, until Mircalla’s energy started to fade, and her solid hand was gone. But they still kept their hands touching, and Laura could feel a very small tingling sensation, and she wondered if Mircalla could still feel her too.

**//-//**

Claudette and Baltasar Karnstein were very easy to find in the library records. They were well known in the community of their town because they owned a good portion of it and were very active socially. One of the pictures Laura found of them was from a charity ball, dated a couple years before Mircalla was sent to the asylum. They were both tall and elegant looking. Claudette was slim but curvy, blonde hair, and soft features. Baltasar was clearly where Mircalla got most of her features from. He was thin but not bony, jet black hair, and had a sharp nose and cheeks. Mircalla was in the picture too, but standing behind them and slightly out of focus, frankly, looking miserable, but still as beautiful as ever.

“ _I absolutely loathed attending functions such as those_ .” Mircalla sneered as she looked at the picture. “ _They held charity balls and auctions, but they kept most of the money for themselves_ …”

“Is that how they stayed so wealthy?” Laura asked, continuing to scan the article.

“ _No. Father came from an obnoxiously rich family, so him and Mother could have lived off of that happily for the rest of their lives if they wanted to, but they were greedy. Always wanting more. It was never enough_.”

Laura never understood that kind of people, and she wondered how Mircalla turned out so good having been brought up by a couple of greedy assholes. Other than receiving some of their physical features, she was nothing like her parents, and that was a very good thing.

Mircalla sighed. “ _Seeing all of this just makes me angry all over again_.”

“We can go ahead and skip to the year you died, if you want?”

She nodded.

Laura went back into the archives and found the large book of compiled newspaper articles for the year Mircalla passed away. It was fairly early in the year, so it didn’t take them too long to find what they were looking for. The headline read: KARNSTEIN DAUGHTER DIES OF MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS.

“They covered it up?” Laura asked, confused.

“ _They didn’t want anyone to know I had been sent to an asylum. It would have tarnished the family name_.”

Laura clenched her jaw. “Not even after you died while in the asylum’s care?”

“ _The focus wouldn’t have been on how the asylum let me die, but why I was in there to begin with. They wouldn’t have taken that risk, even if it had been one of them instead of me_.”

“Did you see them...after?”

“ _Yes. They came to retrieve what was left of me, under the guise of looking to buy the asylum_.”

Laura almost didn’t want to ask, but her curiosity got the better of her. “What was left?”

“ _They cremated me to hide the fact that I starved to death. I’m sure my parents suspected something off about it, but they were told that I’d had an accident and that the asylum morgue employees had made the decision to cremate me because an open casket would have been too much for anyone to handle, especially my parents.”_ Mircalla stared off into nothingness as she talked, her fingers fidgeting. “ _If they knew the truth about what happened, I doubt that place would have existed for as long as it did. They would have used their money and influence to tell everyone that the asylum was falling apart. Understaffed, conditions terrible, treatment not working...things like that. And it would have been shut down before they even knew what hit them. They wanted me fixed, not dead_.”

Laura frowned. “What were they trying to fix?”

Mircalla’s chest tightened as memories from the day that they dragged her into the car and took her to the asylum flooded her mind. The look of pure anger on her Father’s face, and the disgust on her Mother’s. It was something she hadn’t allowed herself to think about for a long time, and as much as she hated to admit it, she had cared about what her parents thought of her, much like most children do of the people that raise them. But she had been born different. She didn’t want to have to live by other people’s rules. She just wanted to be happy. Suddenly a rush of emotion came over here, tears welling up in her eyes. It brought her back to the present and if she could blush, she would have.

“ _I’m sorry_ .” She cleared her throat. “ _I haven’t ever talked about it before._..”

“You don’t have to.” Laura said quickly. “I don’t mean to pry.”

“ _I know. And I_ do _want to talk about it. It's just hard."_

A few moments of silence passed between them. There was nothing Laura could think of to say that would make anything better. Everything was all over and done with, but Mircalla was left to deal with the knowledge of having been betrayed by the people who were supposed to love and take care of her, not toss her out like garbage and leave her to die alone. It made Laura so incredibly angry. And even though Mircalla puts on a brave face and jokes or talks lightly about her death, this just confirmed that it still affects her.

“There’s no rush.” Laura said. “I’ll be here for you when you feel comfortable enough to talk about it. Okay?”

Mircalla let out a relieved sigh. “ _Okay._ ”

They flipped through the following articles about Mircalla’s funeral service, which most of the town showed up for, and how they went to name a park after her, and that the townspeople donated to Mr. and Mrs. Karnstein’s charity in the name of their daughter. And then they found it. Just over a year after Mircalla’s death, the Karnstein’s announced that Claudette was pregnant with another child.

Mircalla stared in shock at the words on the page. “ _I have a sibling_?”

**//-//**

A few days passed since Laura and Mircalla had gone to the library. Ever since Mircalla found out that she had a sibling, she had turned into a mopey and grumpy spirit, much more like when Laura had first met her, jaded from her years in the asylum. She’d softened up over time and Laura had gotten used to those gentle eyes looking back at her with affection, but now it was like they were strangers again. She hadn’t been attending classes with her, which made Laura worry about if she would even still be at the house when she got home everyday. She mainly either sat out on the porch swing and stared at nothing, sat at the window sill in Laura’s room and stared out the window at nothing, or she paced around the house grumpily. Sometimes even to where LaFontaine, Perry, or Kirsch could hear her. Laura understood that the girl was filled with mixed emotions. Mostly anger, but she could tell that there was an underlying sadness at the fact that her parents had had another child, seemingly forgetting the one that had just died, large part due to their actions. Hell, Laura wanted revenge for her. But again, this was decades ago. Her parents are dead by now, so there is nothing for Mircalla to do with that now, other than eventually try to make peace with it. But she had a sibling. Someone who could possibly still be out there, albeit very old if so. But Mircalla had asked for the research to be stopped after that, and Laura would adhere to the girl’s wishes, only resuming when she was ready.

**//-//**

It had taken a couple weeks, and some complaints from Perry about the loud stomping in the middle of the night, but Mircalla’s rage finally subsided a little bit, replaced completely with sadness now, but she still paced, not exactly knowing what to do with herself. Laura tried to engage her in activities, but it never lasted too long. She could only imagine what was going through Mircalla’s head. Though one day, Kirsch invited Mircalla to a game of chess. It was the first time any of them, other than LaFontaine had spoken to her directly since she's been at the house, and it was the first time it wasn’t experiment related. Laura watched as Kirsch pulled the ottoman from LaF’s chair over to the coffee table for him to sit on, then he set the board for them. Mircalla watched suspicious for a few moments, but finally leaned forward and moved one of her red pieces. Kirsch looked surprised, clearly not having expected it to work, and smiled as he moved his next piece. Soon, they got into a groove of moving their checkers around the board, and Laura looked on with fondness for both of them. It was clear that something shifted in Mircalla then. Who knew all it took was some kindness from someone that couldn’t even see or hear her, but treated her as if she was an old friend and this was their bonding time. That night, the pacing stopped. Later, Mircalla actually joined her in her bed once again. She settled in close to her, like she had started to before the whole research fiasco, no longer what seemed like a world apart. Laura liked sharing her bed. Knowing that Mircalla was there was comforting. She just wished that she could feel her there physically. The weight, the warmth that she wanted so badly to feel and cuddle up to.

“ _They caught me kissing another woman._ ” Mircalla said, breaking the silence of the quiet night. “ _That’s why I was sent to the asylum_.”

Laura blinked in the darkness, not knowing what to say to that, or if Mircalla wanted her to say anything at all.

“ _They were so angry with me. Repulsed that I would be doing such a thing_.”

“Who was she?” Laura asked, finding her voice.

“ _Ell_ .” Mircalla let out a shaky breath. “ _My only friend_.”

Laura turned on her side to face Mircalla, rustling the sheets. “Did you love her?”

“ _Yes. Very much_ .” She smiled. “ _She was the only person I could be my true self with_.”

“What happened?”

Mircalla took a few moments to herself, thinking back to the good times between her and Ell. “ _We usually saw each other at her home. Her parents knew about us and they were supportive, surprisingly. They just wanted her to be happy, so they let us have our time together. We’d read to each other in her Father’s library. Go on walks through the woods, holding hands and giggling about anything and everything. Sometimes we’d share more intimate moments in her bedroom_ .” Mircalla looked away from Laura, a little embarrassed that she shared that piece of information, then her voice turned harder. “ _We rarely spent time together anywhere else, but every once in awhile my parents would want to have her over for dinner. It was one of those nights, we had just finished supper and Ell and I were talking up in my room. She was trying to convince me that we should tell my parents about us. They liked her, thought she was a good influence on me. But I knew that it wouldn’t be okay. My parents weren’t like hers. They played their expected roles for society, never veering off the path for anyone or anything. I told her as much, and she even knew that they had been trying to set me up with a wealthy young businessman since I turned eighteen. I wanted to wait until I got a job and moved out, where I wouldn’t be under their control anymore. She agreed, and we hugged and kissed like we always did before we had to part…_ ” Mircalla shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment. “ _but my Mother, who was never one for giving me privacy, came in and saw us. I was dragged down the stairs to my Father, and Ell was escorted out by one of our maids. That was the last time I ever saw her._ ”

“And your parents, they took you straight to the asylum?”

Mircalla nodded. “ _While I sat there in the parlor, waiting for the car, Mother yelled while Father was eerily silent, but I could tell that he was fuming on the inside. She admitted that they had thought about sending me away multiple times when I had rebelled against their rules. Reading too much, admitting that I hated dresses and wished I could wear something different, not speaking like a lady at all times, not trying to impress a male suitor at every event or occasion. They always knew I was different, and had apparently talked about getting me straightened out on multiple occasions. But this..._ this _was the last straw that broke the camel’s back_.”

Now more than ever, Laura wanted to strangle Mr. and Mrs. Karnstein.

“ _Our butler, Baron, came in once he had brought the car around, and they dragged me, kicking and screaming out to the car. Mother and Father didn’t go with me, they just locked me in the back and Baron took off quickly. That was the last time I saw them until they came to get my ashes five years later_.”

Okay, she wanted to strangle the butler too.

“I’m so sorry.” Laura said empathetically, reaching across the small space between them and putting her hand over Mircalla’s.

Mircalla looked at their hands for a moment before Laura felt that familiar sensation of a hand forming in hers. “ _It all seems like a million years ago, but at the same time, almost like it was yesterday. The memories are a little blurry, but the emotions I felt are still raw_.”

If Mircalla was alive, Laura would have suggested that she go see a therapist to work through all the pain and suffering caused by her parents and the asylum. But unfortunately, that kind of thing didn’t exactly exist for spirits. All Laura could do was lend and ear for Mircalla’s feelings and a shoulder to cry on if needed, and she hoped that was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you guys actually liking this story? I need some feedback, y'all.


	12. Chapter 12

The doorbell rang for the fourth time that night, making Mircalla sigh with irritation as Laura and Perry excitedly rushed to the door with their bowls of candy.

“Trick or Treat, muthafuckaz!” Will, Kirsch’s friend said when the door opened.

He was dressed as a himself in his usual letterman jacket, but had had face paint on that made him look like a skeleton. Laura deflated slightly, wanting to have gotten a child as a trick or treater, but Perry still smiled and gave him a fun size Snickers and a Reese’s Cup. He took them with a smile on his face before stepping inside and greeting his friend with a chest bump. Mircalla rolled her eyes at the sight, wondering how polite greetings went from a firm handshake to a chest bump. There were some things that she missed about the past, and that was one of them: manners. Laura shook her head at the boy’s antics and put her bowl back down on the coffee table as she sat down next to Mircalla. Perry had planned a small get together for Halloween, including Danny, Will, Betty (Laura’s study partner from last year), Kirsch’s new girlfriend Sarah Jane and her friend Natalie. The rest of the campus was holding their own parties in their dorm rooms or houses, making too much noise as per usual. This was more low-key, which they all preferred, even if Perry made it a bit cheesy by making them bob for apples or play a round of Twister. Everyone went along with it, and whether they wanted to admit it or not, were clearly having fun. The alcohol helped a little though. Laura and Perry (not counting Mircalla) were the only ones staying sober. Someone had to take care of the people that inevitably got drunk enough to be sloppy and careless or make poor decisions.

They had learned from last year when Will started to throw around one of Perry’s vases like a football. While that had been entertaining in the moment, it had been a pain to clean up. And even then, for weeks after, Laura had stepped in small pieces of glass that even Perry had missed. But this year, everyone was more chill. Maybe it’s because for most of them, it’s their last year of college and they have grown up a lot over the past four years. Kirsch used to be a party animal, but it hit him sometime in Junior year that he’d rather remember the good times he had rather than have so many nights that were blacked out of his memory. However, Will is only a Sophomore and still has some growing up to do. His greeting at the front door having proved that. When not in total jock mode, he was a pretty nice kid, so Laura tried not to go too hard on him. Sarah Jane and Natalie on the other hand, were mature, but could drink anyone under the table. And they did often. They’re Seniors too, but took the opposite of Kirsch’s approach. They wanted to party  while they still could, before entering boring adult life. Laura could see their point, she just chose to do it in a different way. These days, she appreciated the times when her friends were all in the same place having a good time. That was something that she always just took for granted. But now, looking over the back of the sofa and seeing her friends laughing and having fun, _this_ is the kind of thing she wants to remember on the days when her future job is getting to her.

“ _You know, I’ve never celebrated Halloween before_.” Mircalla said next to her.

“How come?”

“ _Parents._ She sneered. “ _Thought that dressing up in obnoxious costumes and begging for candy on people’s doorsteps was below us_. _But they did give out candy on Halloween. To feel superior, no doubt._ ”

“So what _did_ young Mircalla Karnstein do on Halloween, then?”

“ _I did steal a few pieces of candy for myself. But, other than that I would read scary stories by candlelight in my bedroom_ .” She sighed. “ _But every year I wished I could sneak out my bedroom window and put on a costume so no one knew who I was, and just...have fun for a little while.”_

Something clicked in Laura’s head, then. “You know, it’s never too late for that…”

Mircalla frowned. “ _What do you mean_?”

“Follow me!” Laura said with a big grin on her face as she hopped off the sofa once more and up the stairs.

Mircalla sighed and got herself up off the sofa and slowly trailed behind Laura. She’d never admit it to anyone but herself, but she would probably follow that girl anywhere that she asked. Mircalla believed the term was “whipped”, Laura having said it often enough when clearly demonstrated by LaFontaine on many occasions since she’s been staying in the house. Well, there were worse things to be, Mircalla thought as she trudged up the last few stairs and into Laura’s room. The blonde was currently in her closet looking for something, but what? She wasn’t privy to that information quite yet, but it was amusing in the meantime.

“Ah ha! Got it.” Laura said triumphantly. “Mircalla, close your eyes.”

She did as she was told, and heard what sounded like clothes being shaken out.

“Can you make yourself...solid?” The girl added.

Mircalla resisted the urge to open her eyes just then and focused on materializing. It took a few moments, but when she was done, she nodded and almost immediately something was put over her head. If this was anyone other than Laura, she would have backed out immediately and retaliated in anger, but she trusted the blonde and kept her eyes closed as the cloth was situated. After a few moments, hands were on her shoulders, gently guiding her around the bed.

“Okay, open your eyes.” Laura said, excitement in her voice.

Mircalla, again, did as she was told and opened her eyes. She was standing in front of Laura’s mirror….with a white sheet over her head and dark but see-through holes, and a black circle where her mouth was. She was dressed as a ghost. Standing there in silence, she looked at herself for the first time in decades. Well, she couldn’t actually see herself, but she could see the sheet covering her body. She could see that she existed, proof that she was still here. It was different that being able to talk to Laura or move objects for LaFontaine. As silly as it sounds, this is what made her feel real. Now, the costume itself...

“So?” Laura interrupted her thoughts. “What do you think?”

Mircalla smiled to herself. “ _You’re lucky you’re cute_.”

Laura blushed and then made herself busy again with digging out her costume from last year, a bright orange pumpkin that fit around the midsection of her body. She led Mircalla downstairs after retrieving a couple paper bags for candy, but before they could get to the front door, they were stopped by Perry.

“Oh! There you are, Laura. And who is your guest? I didn’t see anyone come in.” She said, turning to the ghost and holding out her hand. “I’m Perry.”

“Per, it’s Mircalla.” Laura whispered.

The redhead’s eyes widened and gave the ghost a look from top to bottom. Mircalla chuckled and raised her hand, still covered in the sheet, and shook Perry’s lightly.

“She’s never Trick or Treated before, so I thought we’d would go in town and knock on a couple doors before it gets too late.” Laura explained.

“Well, uh, you two have fun. I’m just going to…” And then she fast-walked over to LaFontaine, who looked like they were in the middle of trying to conduct a scientific experiment to wow the party guests.

Laura grabbed the car eyes off of the hook next to the door and they stepped outside without any further interruptions. Laura looked around to find the street empty, then pulled the sheet off so Mircalla could save her energy, and led them over to the car and got in. The blonde rubbed her hands together as the car roared to life and air started to blow out of the vents.

“Our best bet for candy is just outside of town where a lot of families live.” She said, checking her watch. “It’s only nearly eight, so we should be good.”

Mircalla watched out the window as Laura drove. They passed house parties that had strobe lights going and people stumbling across front lawns, but when they left the college area and got into more of the suburbs, the only things on the lawns were big blow up witches and pumpkins, orange lights wrapped around trees, and fake body parts coming up from the ground. She always thought that Halloween was a bit of a odd holiday, but people these days really seemed to take it very seriously. At least decoration wise. As they parked along a street that was illuminated with porch lights and still had some parents walking with their children from house to house, Laura parked the car at the curb.

“Ready for your first Trick or Treating excursion?” She asked, cloaking Mircalla in the sheet once again.

“ _As ready as I’ll ever be, dressed like this_.”

Laura giggled and maneuvered her way out of the car in her pumpkin costume, grabbed the two paper bags, and met Micalla on the other side of the car, handing her one, and led her to the sidewalk. There, they passed an older woman dressed as a scarecrow, and presumably her daughter, who was a tiny Wonder Woman.

“Here goes nothing.” Laura said, starting up the path to their first house. “Want to do the honors?”

Mircalla looked at the doorbell for a moment before raising her arm and letting her finger push the button. Thankfully it didn’t take too much energy to get it to ring. They both heard the muffled dings and dongs from inside the house, and the ring barely finished before the door opened. There stood a woman who looked to be in her fifties, smile on her face and bowl of candy in her hand.

“Trick or Treat!” Laura said for the both of them.

The woman kept her smile, but the look in her eyes told Laura that she thought they were a little too old to be trick or treating. Nonetheless, the woman shelled out two pieces of candy each, wished them a Happy Halloween, and closed the door softly.

Mircalla stood there staring at the door for a few moments, then glance in her paper bag, then turned to Laura. “ _That was a bit anticlimactic_.”

She nodded in agreement. “People can be so chintzy with their candy…”

“ _Good thing we have a whole block left_.”

“Do you think you can stay solid for that long?” Laura asked, concerned.

“ _I can redirect all my energy to my top-half so that the sheet will stay on and I can hold my bag. That should allow me to continue for longer_.”

“You know, that’s really cool.”

Mircalla chuckled and turned to shuffled back down the path to the sidewalk, leaving Laura to follow. “ _You and the mad scientist are easy to impress_.”

“I think it’s because you’ve been around dead people and been one yourself for so long, that it’s your new normal. But everything must have been a bit jarring when you first realized that you were dead and could still manipulate things with your energy, right?”

Mircalla shrugged. “Spiritualism was pretty popular in the early twentieth century, so a lot of people, like myself, already believed in life after death. So when I died, the fact that I was still around wasn’t as surprising as it was...satisfying. There were so many skeptics out to prove everything people experienced was a trick of light, a magnet under a table, or a pull of a string by a talented charlatan. And how I wanted to find one of those men and rub their noses in it...but I had other things to tend to.”

Laura wanted to keep the conversation going, but they had made their way to the next house that had their porch light on, and she rung the doorbell with many questions on her mind. That continued for most of the block. They would be greeted with a nice looking suburban mom or dad, sometimes in a costume as well, sometimes only in a vaguely festive sweater, and would receive a couple pieces of candy each. And while Laura felt they were getting jipped because they were clearly not children, Mircalla seemed content and continued to play the role of silent ghost like a good sport. It wasn’t until they were on the other street about halfway down the row of houses when things suddenly took a turn.

“Trick or Treat!” Laura said with as much enthusiasm as she had at the first house.

The man who answered the door could only be described as what a cool uncle would look like. His hair a mess, his eyes a tad glassy, face scruffy, voice loud, but smile big and bright. “Happy Halloween, teens! Here you go, adorable pumpkin girl.” He grabbed a big handful of candy and plopped it into Laura’s bag, then turned to Mircalla. “And some for you, ghost person!” He did the same, taking a big handful of candy and letting it drop into the bag.

But before Laura could thank him, Mircalla uttered an ‘ _oh no_ ’ from beside her, and her bag dropped to the pavement, quickly followed by the sheet. Laura’s eyes widened and her heart started to beat faster. How was she going to explain this?

“Whoa...that was an awesome trick, pumpkin girl! How did you do that?!” He asked, looking at her expectantly.

He thought it was a trick? Well then...that was the perfect excuse!

“A magician never reveals her secrets.” She replied, laughing nervously.

“Ahhh, right.” He winked. “I can respect that.”

“Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.”

“You know what? That was the best thing I’ve seen all night. Here, have the rest of my candy.”

Laura stuck her paper bag out and he tipped his bowl upside down, a couple pieces missing the opening and falling to the pavement next to Mircalla’s bag.

“Thank you, Sir.”

“No, thank you!” He said, then tossed the empty bowl over his shoulder and into the house. “This was delightful. I hope to see you next year.”

And with that, he shut the door, leaving Mircalla and Laura standing there on the porch, dazed and slightly confused.

“ _So it’s safe to assume that he was intoxicated_?”

“Yes, thankfully, or that may not have gone over so well.”

Laura bent down as best as she could in her pumpkin outfit and tossed some of the pieces that fell from the bowl into Mircalla’s bag, before she picked it and the sheet up.

“ _Sorry, I thought I could make it one more house, but apparently I was wrong. The bag got too heavy_.”

“Hey, it got us a crap ton of candy, so, it all worked out.” She said, smiling as she led the way back down the path and toward the car.

“ _Candy I can’t even eat, so you better enjoy it for the both of us_.” Mircalla replied before getting into the car.

Once again, Laura had forgotten such an obvious thing. It was strange. Mircalla was so real and present to her, most of the time she completely forgot that the girl was dead. Popping the trunk, she slipped off her pumpkin costume and joined the girl in the car, setting the bags of candy in the back seat.

“Did you at least have a little bit of fun?”

Mircalla pursed her lips and looked out the window at the street they had just walked up and down. “ _I suppose you could say that I found some enjoyment in tonight’s outing_.”

Laura rolled her eyes, but her face annoyance was given away by her smirk. She could see the small smile on Mircalla’s face too, even though she pretended to be uninterested. It caused a fluttery feeling in Laura’s stomach, and she suppressed the urge to lean over and kiss the girl on the cheek, knowing she wouldn’t find anything solid and would only embarrass herself. Besides, Mircalla wouldn’t want a kiss from her anyway. Right? She shook her head to get that thought out of her head. In need of a distraction, she buckled her seatbelt, started the car, and drove them both home.

When they returned to the house, the party was still going, and everyone besides Perry were in the different stages of drunkenness. Sarah Jane and Natalie were dancing to the beat of their own drum, because they certainly weren’t to the actual beat of the music coming from the speakers. Natalie made her way through the crowd, trying to get others to join in, while Sarah Jane kind of just flopped herself all over Kirsch. Laura would have felt sorry for him, but he seemed amused, and like a good boyfriend, kept her from falling to the floor. LaFontaine was sitting at the table, preoccupied with stacking a pile of the Halloween cookies that Perry made, into a log cabin style structure. Betty sat next to them, actually eating the cookies and looking like she was trying to stay awake. Danny and Will were in what seemed to be an intense conversation about sports, using one of Perry’s pumpkin decorations to act out whatever they were saying. Hey, it’s better than the breakable vase last year, so as long as no trouble was being caused, Laura, and Perry, who was keeping an eye on them out of the corner of her eye, would let them continue. But instead of joining them, Laura headed up to her room to relax. Yeah, tonight she was supposed to be able to let loose and forget about her worries for a little while, but the amount of studying that she’s been doing lately was running her down. Honestly, she just wanted a nice, long night’s sleep. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she put the two bags of candy on her night stand and took off her shoes and socks.

“ _Cupcake_?” Mircalla asked a few seconds after she walked through the closed door, entering the bedroom.

“Yeah?”

“ _Can you light a few candles for me_?”

“Sure.” She replied, shoving her shoes under the bed and tossing her socks into the nearby hamper.

They had recently figured out that heat gave Mircalla energy, which of course prompted LaFontaine to want to test out different ways she could gather energy. That experiment still had yet to happen, but it’s not like they were in a hurry. And in the meantime, Mircalla had learned how to gather the energy quickly and efficiently. Understandably, the girl didn’t like the feeling of being drained for too long, so she would ask for Laura to put candles out every once in awhile.

“Here you go.” Laura said as she pulled four candles out from her nightstand drawer, setting two on either side of the bed and lighting them.

“ _Thank you_.”

Laura nodded before gather a set of PJs. “I’m gonna take a quick shower.”

She needed a few moments to herself to try and figure out all the thoughts swirling around in her mind. So as the warm water splashed over her skin, her mind went to Mircalla. Months ago, Laura would have never imagined that she would have forged a friendship with a spirit, and that said spirit would be living at home with her like another roommate. A roommate that stayed in her room and slept in her bed with her. She bit her lip when that thought made her heart speed up. Sure, before she could admit that she might have had just a little crush on Mircalla. How could she not? The girl was beautiful. But she had learned over the last couple months that she was strong and smart, two things that the people in her time weren’t ready for. And yeah, she irritated Laura, but in a playful way. Really thinking about it now, It was almost inevitable that this tiny crush of hers would turn into something more, and it scared her. She wasn’t quite ready to deal with what this meant, because there was only one possible outcome: heartbreak.

She got out of the shower feeling no better than she had going in. If anything, she felt worse, and still didn’t have a plan on how to go about handling it. Her mom always used to tell her to trust her feelings and follow them where the led her, but if she did so now, it would only cause more stress. This was just going to be something that she had to play by ear, because clearly nothing ever went according to plan. So after she got dressed and stepped back into her room, her nerves were heightened, and it didn’t help that the warm light of the candles was now gone. All four were out, Mircalla having taken the energy they provided, and she was standing in her usual spot in front of the window, looking out into the night where the only light from the moon was coming in. Laura found it funny that the girl never got in bed until she did. The familiarity of their routine. She turned on the bedside lamp, having forgotten to earlier, but she was proud to notice that Mircalla had gotten a lot better about the dark in the past few weeks. She no longer freaked out when there were no lights on in the house, but still preferred there to be a light on wherever she was. Hell, Laura had gotten used to it as well and now preferred to sleep with her lamp on. It just made the room a bit more comfortable. Of course, so did Mircalla’s presence.

“Feel better?” Laura asked as she slipped under the covers.

“ _Yes, very much._ ” She replied before stepping away from the window and making her way over to what has become her side of the bed. “ _Who knew Trick or Treating would have taken so much out of me_.”

“Well you _were_ partially solid for nearly an hour. That’s no small feat.”

“ _If you say so_.” Mircalla brushed off the compliment and settled in bed.

Laura wondered if the girl would ever find anything she could do impressive like they did. Probably not. But thinking back on the night, it reminded her of something, and she was glad that it took her mind off the things she was thinking about just a few minutes before.

“Can I ask you something?”

“ _By now, Laura, you should just ask_.” Mircalla answered in an amused tone.

“Before, you said that when you were alive you already believed in life after death.”

“ _Yes_.”

“What was the thing that made you believe?”

Mircalla sighed, thinking back to when she was alive. “ _The house I grew up in was already very old by the time my parents bought it, and my mother always told me to respect it and everything in it, or else the spirits of the people who lived and died in the house before would be upset with me. Not only that, but I swear on occasion I would hear mutterings from people that weren’t there, or footsteps in the attic where no one ever went. Once I even saw a shadow in the shape of a person walk across the kitchen and straight into a wall. So there was never a time where I didn’t believe_.

“Was that before or after spiritualism really got popular?” Laura asked, turning onto her side to face Mircalla.

“ _Before. And then when it took of, my mother held séance parties every so often, which she would allow me to attend. Let me tell you, the obligatory dinners with the other guests beforehand were more boring than watching paint dry. But it was worth it. During many of the séances, objects moved of their own accord, sounds of knocking or voices were heard. It was exhilarating. And I was skeptical at first. I didn’t trust my mother farther than I could toss her, so I checked under the table for anything that could be used to make noises or move things, or hidden strings around the room, and found nothing. The room was the way it always had been. Then I took into account my mother’s reactions when something happened, and they were genuine. I think that may be the only time, other than when I did something that made her angry, that I saw her without her mask on_.”

“Why do you think she did that? Put a mask on for everyone, that is.”

“ _It was expected of her. And she wasn’t going to risk her status for anything_.”

“That’s a sad way to live.”

“ _Which is why I didn’t want to be like her. But...look where that got me_.”

Laura slid her hand across the small space between them and put her hand on Mircalla’s. That tingle she felt turned into a solid hand, and soon, cold fingers played with hers.

“It wasn’t your fault. You were ahead of your time. People weren’t ready for you just yet.”

Mircalla chuckled. “ _I suppose that’s one way to look at it_.”

Just then, downstairs was a crash, then a muffled, “I’m fine!” from Will. Laura groaned, debating on getting up and going down there to make sure Will and everyone else was alright, but stayed put, knowing Perry would come ask for help if she was needed.

“ _Your friends are an interesting bunch.”_

Laura scoffed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “That’s one way to put it.”

A few moments of silence settled around them, and there were no further noises from downstairs, so Laura took that as a sign that she could relax again. Yawning, she didn’t realize just how tired she was. Her days had been filled with studying and it was really catching up on her.

“ _You look exhausted. Get some sleep_.”

She nodded as a response, and gripped onto Mircalla’s hand tighter as she closed her eyes. There was plenty of time to think later. Right now, she just needed to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to add a few more chapters to this story, so stay tuned.


	13. Chapter 13

As Mircalla leisurely walked around the town in the early evening of Thanksgiving Day as fluffy snowflakes fell down from the overcast sky and Christmas music drifted out of the shops. She attempted not to roll her eyes, because these days they couldn’t even wait for one holiday to pass before trying to shove the other one down your throat. Back at the house, Laura, Kirsch, LaFontaine, Perry, Danny, Betty, Will, Sarah Jane and Natalie were having what Laura referred to as “Friendsgiving”. Apparently it was just Thanksgiving with your friends. Since Silas University was pretty much out in the middle of nowhere, far away from the majority of its student’s homes, they decided to celebrate together. It was a nice thought, Mircalla admitted, but she had seen no reason to stick around. The only one that could see and hear her was Laura, and even then, she couldn’t eat anything, so there was no point in intruding on their celebration. The blonde had of course tried to talk her into staying, but as much as Mircalla liked Laura, they had been spending the majority of their time together and she was starting to wonder how long she would be wanted around. Maybe if she put some space between them, give her and everyone else a break, they would be more inclined to let her stay longer. And hell, she knows she should move on already. To leave the living to live instead of being stuck with the dead, but she couldn’t bring herself to. Not yet. 

She had originally planned to stay behind, explore places in the world that she had never gotten to see while she was alive, and then, find the courage to move on when she was satisfied. But that was a lot easier said than done. For one, she never actually believed that her and the hundreds of other former asylum patients would actually escape Maman’s clutches. Two, she would also have never predicted that a girl would come into her life, so compassionate and determined, and break down her walls that she’d put up to protect herself long ago. How could she want to move on after getting to know Laura? The girl was smart, kind, driven, and beautiful. Just being around her made Mircalla happy. It was a just a bonus that she could see and hear her. And their friendship was something that she hadn’t had since Ell. That closeness was something she craved, but it also scared her. All it took was a musical giggle or a smile directed her way, and Mircalla’s insides felt like they turned to mush. She knew the feeling. She was falling in love, and there was nothing that she could do about it. At first she just thought, or maybe just tried to convince herself, that their budding friendship was just that: friendship. Yes, she’d had friends in the asylum, but none that she opened up to. Her life with her parents was off limits for conversation. But with Laura, she didn’t mind sharing things, slowly but surely. It helped a little, talking about it.  

Not counting how she reacted when she’d found out what her parents had been doing after she died. Moving on like she had meant nothing, and having another child to replace her. She hadn’t stuck around to read anything past that, but she guessed that they finally got the child they had really wanted with him. Deep down she knew it wasn’t fair to judge her sibling so harshly without knowing anything for sure, but she also knew her parents. She didn’t know how much Laura had read about her family, since Mircalla had pretty much stormed out of the library after reading the headline about her mother being pregnant. Admittedly, once the anger finally subsided, curiosity plagued her. She would think about it at night as she laid in Laura’s bed, when all was quiet except for the girl’s even breathing. It was easier to ignore it during the day, when there was much more going on around her. She was either focusing on the class that she attended with Laura, helping the girl study, answering questions from LaFontaine, or playing a board game with Kirsch. But those things could only quell her her naturally inquisitive mind for so long. But she was still a bit embarrassed by her actions last time when she found out something that she didn’t like, so she held off on asking Laura if they could go back. One of these days she was going to have to bite the bullet though. But again, she wanted to give the girl some alone time before asking more of her.

Yes, Laura had offered the house as a sort of “home base” for her to rest, but she hadn’t asked for a constant companion. Mircalla was getting so much more out of their relationship, and she didn’t know how to even attempt to make it even. There was just so much swirling around her mind at all times, she felt like she was running out of space for it. She was at least content with the fact that she was now able to leave the house on her own without getting anxious. The town was fairly small, so by now she pretty much knew where everything was, which helped with her comfort level.

“ _ Good evening, Mircalla _ .” A happy, light voice said.

She looked up to see Cheryl, the spirit of a middle aged woman standing outside the bakery that she once owned, still dressed in her flour-covered apron. The woman smiled as she stepped closer.

“ _ Hi, Cheryl. How’s business _ ?”

“ _ Booming! Thank the Lord for holidays and people who wait last minute to buy something to take to their family functions _ .” She chuckled, then looked around for a moment before her eyes landed on Mircalla again. “ _ What are you doing out here all by your lonesome on Thanksgiving Day _ ?”

She shrugged. “ _ Wanted to give Laura and her friends some space _ .”

Cheryl frowned slightly. “ _ Did they ask for space _ ?”

“ _ No, I just thought that they wouldn’t want a ghost around to put a damper on the mood _ .”

“ _ Well no one should be alone on a holiday, honey. Do you want to come in _ ?” The woman offered. “ _ I know I can’t fix you anything to eat or drink, but I can offer some conversation _ .”

Cheryl was loving lady, and hell, more of a mother to her than her own had even been. This wasn’t the first time the woman had caught her aimlessly walking around town with a lot on her mind, nor the first time she had been offered a listening ear. She had only taken the woman up on it a couple times before, but they hadn’t talked about anything too deep. Just what had happened with the whole being freed from the asylum bit, and that Laura had taken her in for the time being. Cheryl knew Laura, having communicated with her when her, LaF, Perry, and Kirsch had been asked to investigate the bakery by the new owner. Cheryl knew Laura and the gang were good people and wouldn’t have kicked her out of their Thanksgiving celebration, but she did know that Mircalla was one to isolate herself when she felt angry, trapped, or guilty. And having a great ability to read people, the woman knew it was guilt that was keeping her from staying with her new friends on a holiday. For someone she didn’t know particularly well, Cheryl was spot on and...maybe it was a little comforting that someone knew the truth and didn’t judge her for it, but instead offered assistance. But Mircalla was never one for relying on other people. In life or in death, so it was hard to start now. Unfortunately, that made her feel even more guilty because Cheryl was just being incredibly nice to her. But maybe this was her chance. A chance to actually let someone in. Go against her natural instincts to protect herself and maybe, just maybe, feel a bit better.

“ _ Okay. _ ” She said under her breath and nodded.

Happily surprised, Cheryl lit up again and wasted no time in steering her into the bakery.

**//**

Laura bit her lip and glanced out the window for the millionth time that day. Mircalla had been gone longer than she ever had and Laura couldn’t help but be worried. Was the she okay? She would be coming back, right? Why had she  _ really _ left? Had Laura said or done something that made Mircalla feel unwelcome? Had she been smothering her and she left to finally get away from her? There were too many unanswered questions that did nothing but raise her anxiety, which is something she already had an abundance of today anyway. Since the crack of dawn, Perry had had everyone in the house helping her cook and clean for this evening’s festivities. LaFontaine and Kirsch tidied up the dining room, the living room, and the bathroom, while Perry cooked and Laura helped out any way that she could. It wasn’t until she was doing the monotonous task of mashing the potatoes that she’d let her mind wander and convince her that she’d done something so terrible that Mircalla couldn’t bear to be around her anymore. There had been no heads up about her choice to leave for the day, Laura only finding out as the girl was on her way out the door. Sighing, mentally kicked herself in hopes that her brain would shut up and her heart would stop pounding every time she thought of Mircalla. Laura had hoped that her fleeting thought she had on Halloween night of kissing the girl would be the last of of it, but that wasn’t the case. And if she was being honest with herself, it wasn’t fleeting, nor the first time she thought about it.

Laura knows that it’s not wise to fantasize about a girl who is dead and shouldn’t even still be here in the first place, but she’s already heavily involved. She has been ever since she stepped foot into the mansion. There, she was lead to the asylum, and to Mircalla. Like Fate. She believes that she was meant to find out about the asylum so that she could help. And she believes that she was meant to meet Mircalla. But why would Fate play such a cruel trick on her? Of course the  _ one _ girl that she wanted was...unavailable. And yet knowing this, Laura still let herself get close with her. Letting her stay at the house, sleep in her bed, share secrets. It’s easy to forget that Mircalla is dead when it’s just the two of them. She can see her, talk to her, touch her. But maybe it could work. Sure, it goes challenges her beliefs that no spirit should remain Earthbound when there is a much better place that they could be, but the thought of Mircalla not being in her life, well, right now that was unthinkable. In the time that the girl’s been staying with them, she’s easily become Laura’s best friend. Yes, Perry, LaF, Kirsch and Danny are her friends, but she’s the one who met them after they were already paired off. LaF and Perry have been friends since they were like, five, and Kirsch and Danny knew each other from sports. Laura was the one that came in and joined the group, but without any previous friends. And then came Mircalla. Someone that she didn’t have to worry about telling her secret to because it was already out in the open.

She looked out the window again, not seeing anything other than a sliver of driveway and empty street. Snow was coming down now, though, but she didn’t take time to appreciate it’s beauty like she normally would. And as soon as the potatoes were done, Perry gave her another task to do, so she had to push her thoughts to the back of her mind once more, and when guests started arriving, there was no time to think about anything than the conversations that arose. 

**//**

“ _ I want to spend every moment with her, but I know that’s not healthy, nor advisable if I want these feelings to dissipate. What do you think I should do _ ?”

Cheryl let out a sigh and sat back in her side of the booth. “ _ That’s quite the predicament, Mircalla _ .”

A bit of an understatement.

“ _ The romantic in me wants this to be able to work. After what you’ve been through, you deserve to be happy _ .”

“ _ But _ ?”

“ _ But...you need to be able to move on _ .”

“ _ May I point out that you’re still here _ ?” Mircalla asked, raising an eyebrow.

“ _ That’s a bit different, though. I’m staying to make sure that the business I worked so hard for in life keeps going for as long as it can. You, on the other hand, are staying here for a person _ .”

Mircalla knew their situations were different, but she wanted so badly to stay and make this work. No matter if Laura ever felt the same way or not. She wouldn’t care as long as the girl was in her life. 

“ _ If you were in my position...what would you do _ ?”

Cheryl fell silent for a few minutes, looking out the window of the bakery at people passing and car whizzing by before leaning forward and taking Mircalla’s hands in hers. “ _ I would go _ .”

Her heart sank, even though she figured that would be the answer.

“ _ Honey. The longer you stay, the harder it will be to leave her later _ .”

Cheryl’s words echoed in her mind as she walked back to the house. She already knew the right thing to do was leave. She shouldn’t have become close with Laura, she should have moved on the night they were all freed from the asylum. Maybe she was a masochist. That would explain why she had decided to stay. She fought with herself the whole way back to the house, barely paying attention to where she was going and ended up being walked through by people on their way to who knows where. By the time that she got back and stepped onto the porch, she felt like she had finally talked herself into doing the right thing. That she would stay until after the holidays, not wanting to bring anyone down at the time where everything is supposed to be merry, and then give them a forewarning that she would be leaving, they would have time to process the sudden news, and then she would say her goodbyes and move on. But as soon as she saw Laura through the window, her plan had instantly been abandoned. Yes, maybe their relationship, whether just friends or more, was doomed, but Mircalla couldn’t bring herself to care right now. She just wanted to be happy, that’s all she’s wanted in life and in death, and now she was. How could she just give that up? How could she just give Laura up?

She stayed on the porch for a while, hesitating going in. Laura must be confused about how she nearly rushed out that morning with a flimsy excuse, and she hated to worry the girl. Mircalla wasn’t sure if she was going to get a stern talking to or what, the blonde was a feisty little thing, so she wasn’t going to put it past her. And heck, she deserved it. So she took a deep breath, and stepped through the closed front door and into the house. It was quite the contrast, going from cold and desolate outside, to warm and full of talking and laughter inside. The group was made up of LaFontaine, Perry, and Laura who were sitting on the sofa, and Kirsch and Danny on the floor, playing what the blonde had showed her was called a video game. Mircalla couldn’t help but chuckle at how tense their bodies were as they used their controllers to bash their cars into one another. Laura must have heard her, because she turned around to peek over the back of the sofa, and instantly her furrowed brows relaxed and relief seemed to wash over her. Mircalla smiled and tipped her head towards the stairs, indicating that they should talk up in Laura’s bedroom. She started up the stairs as the girl turned back around and excused herself from the group. Mircalla fidgeted with her hands as stood in the middle of the bedroom waiting for Laura. It only took a few moments before the blonde to come in after in a rush, nearly skidding to a stop. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, took a second to catch her breath, and closed the door, giving them even more privacy.

They stood there in silence for the better part of thirty seconds, neither really knowing what to say, before Mircalla decided that she should probably just bite the bullet.

“ _ I’m sorry I left this morning. I didn’t really give you a reason as to why, and I regret that _ .”

“Honestly, right now I’m just glad you’re back. I was a afraid you might be gone for good.”

“ _ You thought I would leave forever without saying goodbye _ ?”

Laura shrugged. “I don’t know.” Then she seemed to have realized the real answer. “No.”

“ _ Well, you can rest easy. I don’t have any plans for leaving anytime soon _ .”

“Why did you take off earlier, then?”

Mircalla cast her gaze to the floor as she continued to fiddle with her fingers. “ _ I just thought you should have some time with your friends. You and I have been attached at the hip basically since I started staying here, so I thought you should have some time with them for a while. _ ” Then she changed her tone of voice to not be so serious. “ _ Besides, it’s not like I can eat or really talk with your friends, so I took a walk around town and visited with Cheryl _ .”

Laura nodded slowly, like she understood where Mircalla was coming from. “I’m glad at least you weren’t alone.”

It was then that a thought struck Mircalla. Maybe the whole giving Laura some time with her friends wasn’t the only reason that she decided to go out on her own. She thought about her life when she was alive, and it actually made sense...

“ _ I know it must be hard to understand, coming from a close family and all, but holidays don’t really mean much to me. It wasn’t a time to spend together to get to know each other, it was about hosting dinner celebrations to show off to other people how much money we had _ .”

“Oh.” Laura frowned. “I guess I didn’t think of that.”

Hell, neither did Mircalla until just now. Maybe her life before the asylum affected her more than even she realized at times.

“We can try and change that.” 

“ _ How so _ ?”

Laura stepped closer. “Spend Christmas with us. I can promise you there will be nothing lavish about it. We are poor college students after all.”

That made Mircalla smile. The thought of actually having a real, comfortable holiday celebration with Laura sounded wonderful. And for the first time, was actually something she looked forward to.

“ _ Okay. _ ” She replied, as if she could turn Laura down.

The girl let out a tiny squeal before launching herself at Mircalla, who barely had enough time to make herself solid. She caught Laura and slipped her arms around the smaller girl’s waist. The arms around her neck held onto her firmly, and Mircalla let herself sink into the soft warmth that was Laura. Sure, they had hugged before, but this one felt different. Maybe it’s because she’s finally accepted her Fate. That she’s falling for this adorable nerd of a girl who cares about her just as much as she does for Laura. She gave her one last tight squeeze before pulling back, but Laura didn’t let her go far, her arms resting on her shoulders kept them close. A few moments later, their foreheads rested against each other, and it took every fiber of Mircalla’s being to not lean down and kiss her. She may be into Laura, but there was no guarantee that the girl felt anything other than a strong friendship between them. And that was okay, it really was. Or so she thought. It started with a soft caress of her cheek before she realized that Laura was slowly pulling her down towards her lips. If she had a heart, no doubt it would be pounding in her chest right about now. When their noses touched, Laura paused and brushed them together a few more times in an eskimo kiss before leaning up to close the distance between them, but before she could...

“Laura, it’s your turn to race!” Kirsch shouted from downstairs, causing them to jump. “Loser cleans the kitchen!”

Both of them let out nervous giggles before awkwardly standing there, still holding onto each other but not exactly knowing where to go from here. The romantic moment was gone, but it seemed pretty clear by now that Mircalla’s feelings were returned, at least a little bit, and there was a satisfaction in seeing the blonde’s cheeks flush. She was so cute. And yes, they would have to talk about what this meant for both of them at some point, but for right now, Mircalla just wanted to watch her best friend play the video game contraption and “kick some ass”, as the kids say, and enjoy being happy. Maybe Cheryl and her own instincts were wrong. Maybe this could actually work, but only time would tell.


	14. Chapter 14

As Christmas grew closer and closer, Mircalla actually felt excitement as decorations around town started popping up more and more, and Christmas music was played around the house. Literally the day after Thanksgiving, Laura had taken out all of the CDs they had that could be considered holiday music and stacked them next to the stereo for easy access. It was mostly instrumentals until December first, to which then she switched to “the classics” as everyone seemed to refer to them as. Names like Brenda Lee, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra didn’t mean a thing to Mircalla, but apparently most people revered them decades after initially hitting the airwaves with their catchy holiday tunes. To be honest, they were okay the first few times around, but now they were only tolerable because Laura tended to sing along, whether loudly or under her breath, and Mircalla had a hard time hating something that made the blonde happy. Plus she had a cute voice. But what she enjoyed the most was the warm atmosphere, which felt odd to think since it’s winter, but the house just emanated a comfortable vibe, more so than usual. Maybe because since it was so bright and chilly outside and the house was lit with warm lighting and everyone was wearing their ugly Christmas sweaters. Or even just having the fireplace roaring, which was now a daily occurrence, added to the mood tremendously. 

Either way, Mircalla loved it. She even found herself wishing that she could take part in wearing an ugly sweater too, but she was stuck in her dirty white shirt and pants for all of eternity it seems. And ever since her and Laura’s almost-kiss a couple weeks ago, Mircalla has been a bit more self-conscious because of that. It wasn’t exactly charming or romantic having no choice but to wear the same dirty clothes that she died in. Thankfully, Laura never brought it up. That was also something that had been plaguing her mind besides the holidays, was the near kiss between them. Ever since then whether it be school, homework, or just not having much time to themselves, they hadn’t talked about it or attempted to try it again. Mircalla would be worried that she’d ruined everything if it wasn’t for the knowing looks and smiles they shared when no one else was looking. And if Mircalla could blush, she would have like a little school girl, especially in the few days following the initial interruption. It would have been incredibly awkward if she didn’t know that Laura had feelings for her, but because she did, it made it all the more easier to wait for the right time for their moment to come. She wasn’t planning anything, but she wanted it to be romantic. Not rushed in the little time alone that they had together.

The small things helped. They would hold hands a lot. And because Mircalla was invisible to everyone else, they could do it without drawing attention or unwanted questions. They both are still figuring this out. However, they still had yet to actually talk about it either. Yes, they should probably do that. Though Mircalla wasn’t exactly sure what to say, no matter how hard she thought about it. So she had decided to wait for Laura to bring it up. She figured the girl would eventually not be able to contain herself anymore and finally start up the conversation. Maybe it was a cowardly move on her part, but she also wanted Laura to know that the ball was in her court.

“I really can’t staaay.” Laura started singing as she entered the room. “I’ve got to go awaaay.”

“ _ Oh no _ .”

“This evening has beeen.”

“ _ Laura _ .”

“So very niiice.”

“ _ Laura, that song is creepy _ .”

The blonde sighed and plopped down on the sofa next to Mircalla. “I know, but it’s so catchy!”

Mircalla shook her head to herself and fondly smiled at Laura before changing the subject. “ _ How was your telephone call with your father _ ?”

“Good.” Laura replied, scooting herself to face Mircalla. “I hadn’t realized how long it’s been since we had a conversation longer than five minutes. School really has taken over my life lately.”

“ _ Which is why you should take a break. You deserve it. _ ”

“That’s what he said.”

“ _ Smart man _ .”

Laura paused for a moment, fiddling with her fingers before continuing. “So...you know how the plan was to celebrate Christmas here with LaF and Perry, then I was going to go spend New Year’s with my dad?”

Mircalla nodded.

“Well, he is actually taking some time off from his job and wants me to come home for Christmas and stay til New Year’s.”

“ _ That sounds wonderful _ .”

“Yeah.” Laura said halfheartedly.

“ _ So how come you’re not bouncing off the walls excited _ ?”

Laura shifted her eyes from Mircalla to the rug. “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I guess I was just looking forward to celebrating with everyone, and you actually being here instead of wandering the town.”

Mircalla thought for a moment, then nudged the girl with her foot. “ _ How about we just celebrate a couple days early? That way you can still enjoy time with your friends and I’ll be here like I promised _ ?”

Laura nodded, but she was annoyed with herself. She wanted to ask Mircalla to go with her, but she was too nervous. What if Mircalla said no? Ugh, what was she thinking? They hadn’t even kissed yet and she was already wanting to take her not-girlfriend home to meet her dad? That’s a sure fire way to kill a relationship before it even has begun. Right? And Hell, Mircalla hasn’t even been able to bring herself to leave town and travel like she always dreamed. Surely a long plane trip to another continent would be out of the question...

**//**

Perry and LaFontaine thought that celebrating a couple days early was a perfectly fine idea. That way Laura wouldn’t miss anything, and the redheads could have a romantic Christmas Day alone together. Yeah, Mircalla would be making herself scarce for that. Maybe she’d go visit Cheryl at the bakery. But she didn’t know how she was going to keep herself occupied for ten whole days without Laura. It seemed like an eternity, especially when you’re limited to what you can do. After thinking about it for a while, she thought that maybe this was a sign that she needed to actually start making good on her lifelong wish of seeing the world. That thought still frightened her, but not as bad as it had months ago. In fact, when she really dissected her feelings, it was nervousness and anxiety more than just being scared. When Mircalla was first freed from the asylum, she was afraid to go anywhere. In a way, the asylum had become her safety net. When you spend so much time in one place, of course when she actually had the opportunity to go anywhere and do anything, it was so overwhelming that she didn’t do anything for a while except for going to classes with Laura. But once she became familiar with her surroundings, she would venture into town by herself, not attending every class anymore (Laura really didn’t need her as a distraction anyway), and she eventually went where she wanted to when she wanted to, whether that be sitting on a bench in the park across campus waiting for Laura’s classes to end, visiting Cheryl at the bakery, or just walking around shops watching as people went about their day.

It was scary...until it wasn’t. Maybe she just had to take the plunge, and once she was actually doing it, the anxiety would subside. There was one thing though. Mircalla didn’t know how to actually go anywhere without being driven or walking there. Would she had to travel in planes? That sounded like it would get old pretty fast. Looking over to Laura’s bookshelf, she wondered if the girl had any books that talked about spirit travel. The girl had quite the paranormal library of her own. There had to be something helpful in one of them. Normally she would have just asked Laura herself, since she knew more about the afterlife than Mircalla did, but she was still in class and wouldn’t be home for another hour. Too curious to wait, Mircalla walked over to the shelf, scanning the titles. Some were a bit ambiguous, some were straight to the point. But none were clearly marked with How Spirits Travel or anything of the sort. Of course. Because that would be too convenient. Once she gave up with trying to pick which one might have something in it to help her, she just bit the bullet and pulled one off the shelf. Sitting down on the floor, she started her search. However, her desired topic was quickly forgotten when she was coming across chapters of incredibly interesting information. When she had been alive, there were only theories behind certain phenomena, and while even today there was still so many questions about spirituality, there was a lot that people have learned over the years.

Mostly through experiments, much like what she had done with LaFontaine, did people gain some insight. A scientific approach with audio recorders and video cameras could yield much more evidence than it had back when they really only had spirit boards and still photography. It was all just so fascinating that she hadn’t even noticed when Laura had come home. It wasn’t until the girl let her bookbag fall to the floor with a heavy thump that she was roused from her daze.

“Sorry.” Laura apologized. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“ _ It’s fine _ .” She replied, looking up and giving the blonde a smile. “ _ How were your classes _ ?”

“Boring and stressful as per usual.” She replied, flopping onto the bed and crawling to the headboard to lean back on. “What are you reading?”

“ _ Oh, one of your paranormal books _ .” Mircalla said, taking one of Laura’s book marks off the shelf and placing it in the book to keep her place. “ _ I was looking for a possible answer to a question I had, but I quickly got distracted _ .”

Getting up, Mircalla set the book on the night stand of her side of the bed before crawling onto the bed, joining Laura.

“And did you find the answer?”

“ _ No. But I learned a bit more about the contraptions that you use to investigate, and looked at some very interesting spirit photographs _ .”

“Well at least someone was enjoying what they were learning around here. I’m so tired of studying.”

“ _ Only five more months until graduation, Cupcake. You can do it _ .”

Laura huffed. “Says you.”

“ _ Well...you want to be a journalist, don’t you _ ?”

“Yes.”

“ _ Then you have to graduate, or else your entire college career was all for nought _ .”

“Ugh.”

Mircalla couldn’t help but be slightly amused. But she also felt for the girl. She knows how hard Laura has been working and how much stress she’s put on herself. Leaning over, Mircalla pulls together her energy and kisses the blonde on her forehead, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away.

“ _ I think you need to give your brain a rest _ .”

“That’s what Christmas break is for. And sadly it’s not here yet.”

Mircalla frowned. “ _How come you are being so hard on yourself?_ _You used to hunt ghosts on weekends and you still did fine_.”

“Yeah, but I was slacking and I shouldn’t have been. My grades were average, and my dad isn’t paying an obnoxious amount of money for me to be doing average. I feel like I’ve let him down.”

“ _ Has he actually said anything like that to you? _ ”

“...No. But that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t feel it.”

“ _ Cutie, I think the only way you could let him down is to stress yourself out to the point where you have a breakdown because you spread yourself too thin. Okay, maybe you were slacking a little before, but now you are overcompensating. It’s okay to still have some down time. Marathon a bunch of films, or play some video games. You just need to relax. I can see how tense your body is, and you’re just sitting there _ .”

“Unfortunately, relaxing is easier said than done.” Laura said, sighing as she allowed herself to slide down the bed and bury face in a pillow.

Mircalla bit her lip, trying to think of something. But for the time being, she just reached over and rubbed Laura’s back. It wasn’t much, but it was something. And miraculously, after a few minutes, she could feel the muscles under her fingers loosen up, Laura’s breathing slow, and eventually, small snores were the only sound in the bedroom. Mircalla knew that taking a nap was only a temporary solution to the problem, but she would take it.

**//**

It was a real pain in the butt when Mircalla wanted to talk to someone, but they couldn’t hear her. With Laura still napping away upstairs, she wanted to speak with LaFontaine to see if they could provide some answers that she hadn’t found in Laura’s book earlier. She found them in the office off the living room, taking some notes from a webpage that was up on the computer. At the top of the page read Austrian Apparitions, and it seemed to list all the reportedly haunted locations in the country. Looks like someone wasn’t actually taking a break from the paranormal like everyone else was. Thankfully, this meant that LaF was much more likely to want to talk with her, but she just had to figure out how. Scanning the the redhead’s desk, the only thing she saw that was not breakable was a pen that lay near the edge of the desk. With a simple flick of her finger, it rolled off and landed on the floor with a little clatter. LaF stopped what they were doing and picked up the pen, setting it back onto the desk, then went back to note-taking. Mircalla sighed at them. You’d think they would know paranormal activity when it happened right next to them. While studying the paranormal to boot! Once again, Mircalla flicked the pen and it landed on the floor once more. Without missing a beat, LaF picked it up and put it into a mug that sat in front of them that held more writing utensils, and continued to do what they were doing without even questioning why the pen had decided to move twice all of a sudden. The living really could be so oblivious to what went on around them. Stepping up her game this time, Mircalla took the same pen out of the mug and levitated it in front of LaFontaine’s face until they noticed.

“Gah!” They yelped when they noticed it, jumping back.

Mircalla let it hang in the air for a few more seconds before dropping it, satisfied that they she had finally caught their attention.

“Mircalla?” They asked, looking around the room suspiciously. “Is that you?”

“ _ Who else would it be? _ ” She replied, knowing they wouldn’t hear her anyway.

“Right, stupid question.” They answered under their breath. “What’s up? It’s kinda hard to talk when I can’t see or hear you. I can get Laura to help.”

As they got up out of the computer chair, Mircalla shot into action. She didn’t want anyone to interrupt Laura’s rest, so she did what she could to stop them. Turning around, she saw her opportunity. Just as LaF approached the doorway, Mircalla hit one of the pillows that sat on the sofa off and it landed in front of the door. A clear sign that’s not what she wanted.

“Uh.” They stopped and stared at the pillow. “Okay, guess that was a ‘no’.”

“ _ Finally catching on _ .”

“So...okay. Well, our options are a bit limited then.” They leaned down and picked up the pillow before tossing it back onto the sofa and sitting back down into their chair. “I have a spirit board that we can use. I know you can move things, so that shouldn’t be a problem for you to use.”

It wouldn’t have been Mircalla’s first choice, but it was better than nothing. So she watched as they pulled a black Ouija board with golden lettering and numbers out of one drawer of their desk, and from another drawer a pearly white planchette with thin black line designs carved into it. LaF closed the office door before setting the board onto the floor in the middle of the room and then placed the planchette onto the board between the YES and NO. She hadn’t seen a spirit board since she was alive, and none of the ones she’d seen used looked like this. It was beautiful.

“Okay.” LaF said before setting down and putting their fingers on the planchette. “You wanted to talk to me, right?”

Mircalla lowered herself to the floor as well, sitting across from LaFontaine, put her fingers on the space that wasn’t occupied, and started to move the small piece of wood over the board.

**_YES_ **

LaFontaine let out a breath. “Good. We’re on the right track then. Uh, so why talk to me when you have Laura?”

Moving the planchette, Mircalla made sure that the open hole was moving over the letters clearly so that there would be no confusion.

**_L-S-L-E-E-P-I-N-G_ **

“Oh, Laura’s sleeping. Gotcha.”

**_Q-U-E-S-T-I-O-N_ **

“You have a question for me?”

**_YES_ **

“I can’t promise I’ll have an answer for you, but I can try. What is your question about?”

**_S-P-I-R-I-T-T-R-A-V-E-L_ **

“Spirit travel. As in...how do you do it?”

**_YES_ **

“Well, there are different theories about that. No one really knows for sure. Some people believe that some spirits can travel easily when they are thought about by another person. There have also been reports that spirits can travel through electrical wires. Like, say I’m here and my friend is a few towns away, if we get on a Skype call, theoretically you could travel through our connection and visit her on her end. Others believe that spirits can just think about where they want to go and instantaneously they can travel there.”

Mircalla thought about that for a second before replying.

**_L-E-A-R-N-H-O-W_ **

**_C-O-N-F-R-O-N-T-F-E-A-R_ **

LaFontaine knew about Mircalla and her fear of going anywhere when she first started living with them in the house, but also knew that she’d opened up and went into town by herself eventually. They knew progress had been made, but Mircalla could sense their surprise about this new development.

“I see.” They nodded. “Well, I can’t tell you exactly how to do it per say, but we could try some experiments and see how that goes?”

**_O-K-A-Y_ **

So it was settled. A wave of nerves and excitement took her over. She decided to take that as a good sign.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...it's been a year since I posted a chapter on this story. I'm sorry! Long story short: depression fucking sucks. Just know that I haven't abandoned this story, I do hope to complete it eventually.

“So my friend Mel has agreed to participate in this experiment.” LaFontaine said, pointing to their computer screen.

“Participate is a bit of a stretch.” The woman on the other end replied. “I’m really going to just be sitting here doing my homework while you...do what exactly?”

Mircalla could see that she wasn’t exactly thrilled to be apart of what they were doing, but was still appreciative nonetheless.

“I told you we’ve had a spirit staying with us since the whole incident concerning the asylum happened.”

“Right.”

“Well, since she’s never traveled anywhere of her own volition, she doesn’t know how. So we’re trying to help her figure out ways to do so. And one theory is through electrical wires. Theoretically, Mircalla could tap into my computer and follow the path to yours.” LaF explained. “And if this experiment is successful, she will make her presence known where you are.”

“Whoa, hold on. I don’t want any ghosts hanging around me.” Mel warned, pointing a finger a LaF.

They raised their hands, clearly intimidated by the woman. “Okay, hold on. It’s not like she’s going to be staying there with you. I’m recording this, so I just want proof that she actually did travel. Once she has done that, she’ll make her way back here and the experiment will be done.”

Mel sighed. “Fine.”

“Great. Thank you.”

“Whatever.”

“Okay Mircalla, Mel here is just a few streets over, however, this connection through Skype links us. Try tapping into the electrical connection. Maybe once you can do that, you can follow it to her residence.”

Mircalla nodded, though forgot that LaFontaine couldn’t see her. That happened a lot more lately. She would find that she would say something out loud and when LaF didn’t answer, she remembered that she would have to either have Laura voice what she said, or use the spirit board. It was annoying, especially times like now when LaF really could only wait to get an answer when she moved the planchette, or in this case, when something happened over at Mel’s. Nudging the planchette to the letter K (something she had quickly adapted to doing so she didn’t have to waste time spelling out ‘okay’), and stepped closer to the computer. Unfortunately there was no manual for this kind of thing. She didn’t know how to begin to tap into anything. But that’s why this was called an experiment after all. If this didn’t work, they would try something else. Taking a moment, she focused on the computer screen, following the cable from the monitor down onto the floor where a bundle of different cables plugged into a power strip. Somehow, she knew that if she could pull this off, it wouldn’t be easy.

**//**

Laura glanced up at the clock for what felt like the hundredth time today. Ever since she decided to focus basically all of her energy on studying for the remaining months of her senior year, time had seemed to move slower and slower. Without her outlet of investigating, life just wasn’t as exciting as it once was. Though it was a bit hard to top defeating a woman who had held hundreds of spirits hostage for decades upon decades and setting them free. She doubted that she would come across anything else like it again. It had taken a toll on all of them, and they had needed a break, but once Laura was physically and emotionally recovered, she couldn’t help but feel the pull to get right back at it again. Helping spirits was her calling, after all. But the paranormal wasn’t going to be her main income source. Graduating, moving somewhere that is still undecided, and getting a job was her motivation to continue. And just maybe once things have settled back down, she could continue helping spirits in her spare time. But she still didn’t know if she was going to have to do that alone. LaFontaine and Perry haven’t seemed to have made up their minds of where they are going to go after graduation either. Last time it was mentioned, they were still debating the pros and cons of going back to live near one of their families for a while, or taking a risk and moving to another foreign country. LaF said they could do science anywhere, but the challenge would be Perry getting a job teaching German.

Kirsch had pondered about going back home to his home state of Nebraska. He’s missed his parents the last few years, and was thinking about moving back in with his them until he got a job and saved up some money. And to be honest, Laura made herself keep that on her list of options. Sure, she couldn’t help but want that as a last resort because she was an adult now, ready to take on adult responsibilities. But at the same time, she’s missed her dad as well, and she knew that he would be more than happy if she moved back in. But somehow she would feel like it was a step backward, rather than forward. She wanted to be able to get a job and live on her own straight out of college. She wanted to prove that she could make it in the real world. Though she can admit to herself that she might be biting off more than she can chew. Worse than feeling like a failure by living with her dad would actually be failing at attempting to be an adult first and then having to live with her dad. Sighing to herself, she let her head fall into her hands. Her college experience had gone by so much faster than she had anticipated, and she had a feeling that it was going to be a rough transition no matter how she went about it. Having lost herself in thought, when the bell rang that released them from class, Laura nearly jumped out of her hyde. How much time had she been lost in thought? Quickly, she gathered up her things, shoved them in her backpack, and skipped down the stairs, excited to get back home.

Her reprieve from schoolwork has been Mircalla. The girl had forced her to put down her books and take breaks, reminded her to eat, and most importantly, have some time for a little fun. Another reason why Laura was nervous to finish school was that she didn’t know what Mircalla’s plans were. Unfortunately, because studying had taken over the majority of her free time, that also limited her time with the girl. And ever since their almost-kiss, they hadn’t exactly addressed what their relationship was now. Clearly they both wanted more than just friendship with each other, but beyond that, Laura had so many questions. Would Mircalla want to leave Styria with her? _Should_ she? Laura wanted nothing more than to see where this relationship could go, but at the same time, her mind wouldn’t let her forget that Mircalla was free now, and she should move on into the Light. But Laura is selfish. Finally she found a girl that she likes and likes her, who brings out the best in her and treats her with respect, but of course there is always a catch. Something so perfect always did. Dating a ghost wasn’t exactly what she had imagined in a future girlfriend, but her feelings were so strong, if ignored though, she knew that she would regret it. Maybe their relationship was doomed, but she had to see it through. Her heart was louder than her brain, as usual, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

When she arrived back at the house, Mircalla was nowhere to be seen, but the office door was shut and she could hear LaFontaine talking, so she figured the two of them were up to something. The past few days they had been communicating through LaF’s spirit board while while she was busy with her homework. Laura liked that they were getting along, and wondered what they were up to, but also wanted to give Mircalla some space. If the girl wanted her to know what they were doing, she would tell her when ready. She assumed it was more of LaF’s experiments, and if they needed help with anything, they’d ask. After stopping in the kitchen to grab a yogurt cup and a spoon, she made her way up the stairs to her bedroom, closed the door behind her, let her bookbag fall to the floor, and collapsed on the bed. She groaned as she turned over and sat herself up against the headboard. It was nice to have a few moments of peace and quiet, without homework, school bells ringing, or teachers lecturing. Some days she felt as if her head was going to explode with all the information that she was trying to pack away, and all the distractions that surrounded her constantly. But in her room by herself, she savored her yogurt and let her mind be absolutely blank, if only for a few moments. It never lasted long though. While still thankful that Christmas break was coming up, she hadn’t been able to ask Mircalla if she would come home with her. Most days she felt as if that was much too selfish of her to ask. But she knew the real reason: she didn’t want to be rejected.

**//**

Mircalla reached her hand out towards the cord that attached the computer to the power strip. She was a little hesitant, because even though she was dead, she had no idea if something like this could hurt her or not if she didn’t do it right. Once her hand was going through the cord, she closed her eyes and tried to her best to focus. She tried imagining herself traveling through the electricity in the cord, but as the moments ticks by, nothing happened. It wasn’t exactly easy since she felt like she was under pressure to perform. LaF was sitting there silently, waiting for her to magically appear on Mel’s end. Sighing, she tried again. The room was silent, but it felt so loud. And as minute after minute passed with nothing happening, Mircalla couldn’t help but feel like a failure. What was she doing wrong? It hadn’t taken her much time in the past to learn how to move things, so why was this so hard? She thought about how she had gotten herself to do it the very first time all those years ago, and something in her head clicked. Glancing up at the computer screen she took it in. What Mel looked like, what the bedroom behind her looked like, trying to memorize the details. Her curly hair, the red pen she was doing her homework with, the black leather jacket hanging over her computer chair, the dark blue bedspread in the background. Closing her eyes, she recreated that image in her mind and willed herself to go there. Suddenly, she felt as if she were losing her balance, and her head was a bit dizzy.

Opening her eyes, she wasn’t in the office anymore. Blinking a few times, she recognized the blue bedspread in front of her. Had she really done it? Turning around on her heel, Mel was there, sitting hunched over her desk, still doing homework. And on the computer screen in front of her, Mircalla could see LaFontaine sitting at their own desk. Wow...she did it. Sure, it was a very short distance that she traveled, but she did it. Smiling to herself, she remembered her part of the deal. Looking around for something to move in view of the camera, she looked over at the nightstand. Only a picture of the Summer Society girls. Not wanting to break anything, she walked over to the desk. There was a plastic cup filled with pens and pencils. It wouldn’t break, but it it may be noisy. She was drained from the effort traveling took, but she focused the energy that she had left and gently knocked it over. The sudden clattering sound made Mel yelp and jump up from her seat. Mircalla could see LaF leaning in closer to their screen, smile on their face. She couldn’t help but smile back. She was tired, but happy that she’d been able to do it.

“LaFontaine, I swear to God, get this ghost out of my room, pronto!” Mel ordered, backing herself up against the nearest wall.

“Okay, Mircalla, you can come back now.” LaF said.

Knowing that she didn’t have the energy to travel back, Mircalla showed herself out of Mel’s bedroom door. There was a flight of stairs in front of her, so she made her way down and out the front door into the cold, winter day. Mircalla found herself wobbling as she slowly made her way down the street towards the house. She hadn’t anticipated it taking so much of her energy, and now she was so weak, she was struggling to get back home. Her vision got blurry, but she pushed on anyway. She made it to the porch, but knew she couldn’t go any further. As soon as she collapsed down onto the porch swing, she was out like a light.

**//**

Laura was laying on her bed, laptop on her stomach, surfing Tumblr when her phone buzzed next to her.

**_LaFontaine: Is Mircalla with you?_ **

**_Laura: No, I thought she was supposed to be with you all afternoon?_ **

**_LaFontaine: She was. We were doing an experiment but she never let me know when/ if she came back…_ **

Being the only one that could see her, Laura knew how concerning that would be if things just went silent all of a sudden, so she set her computer aside and tried to quell the pit that was growing in her stomach telling her that something was wrong.

**_Laura: Where was she last?_ **

**_LaFontaine: Mel’s. Once the experiment was done I told her to come back, but I don’t have any evidence that she did._ **

**_Laura: How long ago was this?_ **

**_LaFontaine: About an hour ago._ **

Laura bit her lip and looked out her window. All she saw was white. Snow had fallen during the night and covered everything in sight, reflecting the sun so it was even harder to see. It hurt her eyes. Except for Thanksgiving, the ghost wasn’t one to just disappear like that. It worried Laura, but she tried telling herself that the girl was probably fine and could take care of herself. There could be a million reasons why she hadn’t either come back or or had and just hadn’t made herself known to LaF. Maybe she just wanted a break or something. But as Laura went downstairs and looked through the house, it was when she was in the living room that she glanced outside and saw a lump of something on the porch swing. When opened the front door and looked out, her eyes widened and she called for LaF.

“What? What happened? Did you find her?” LaF asked as they joined Laura at the front door.

“She’s right here.”

“Where?”

Laura pointed. “On the porch swing.”

“So she’s completely fine?”

“I’m...not sure?” She shrugged.

“Okay... what exactly is she doing?” LaF asked, looking at the empty bench that wasn’t actually empty.

“She looks like she’s sleeping. Though in an odd position. Like she just flopped there.”

LaFontaine hummed and scratched the back of their head as they thought. “Maybe traveling used up so much of her energy that she just passed out.”

“So what should we do? I can’t carry her inside or anything, and I hate to leave her out here in the cold.”

“Uh. Well, heat restores her energy, right?

“Yeah.”

“I can bring the space heater out here, see if that helps.”

Laura nodded. It was better than nothing.

**//**

The first thing that she noticed when she started to come to was fingers trailing through her hair. It felt so nice that she just wanted to stay in that moment forever. And she had every intention to until she registered a crackling sound in front of her. With that, she opened her eyes to see a fire going in the brick fireplace of the living room. She was home. Frowning, she recalled being at Mel’s, then...what had happened? Fingernails lightly scratched her scalp and she immediately knew it was Laura. Her mind went blank and she let out a quiet content sigh, snuggling her face into the girl’s leg.

Laura giggled. “Welcome back.”

Yawning, Mircalla stretched her legs and watched the fire dance in front of her. “ _What happened?_ ”

“That’s what we’d like to know. I found you passed out on the porch swing.”

Thinking back, she vaguely remembered seeing the house, then...her memory went black.

“LaF got the space heater to get your energy back up. After a while you didn’t wake up, but your body would go in and out of being solid, so I took one of those opportunities and got you in here to the sofa.”

Mircalla smirked and turned over, looking up at Laura. “ _You carried me in here, Cupcake? How romantic._ ”

Laura’s face flushed and she shrugged. “It’s not like I was going to leave you out in the cold.”

Sitting up, Mircalla enjoyed seeing the girl squirm a little bit. “ _Not that I would have frozen to death or anything. But thank you._ ”

Before Laura could say anything else, Mircalla leaned over and kissed Laura on the cheek, letting her lips linger for a few seconds, savoring the feeling. The warmth that radiated from Laura was better than any candle or space heater could provide.


	16. Chapter 16

Mircalla closed her eyes and focused all her energy on picturing Laura in her mind. Her dirty blonde hair that glowed in the sunlight like she was an angel, her cute noise, honey eyes, her smile and contagious giggle. The now familiar sensation of momentary dizziness washed over Mircalla, but was gone as fast as it came. Opening her eyes, she was standing at the back of a lecture hall about halfway filled with students, and a teacher at the front of the class. It looked like the woman was nearly putting herself to sleep as she droned on about some book.

“ _Could this Professor be anymore monotone?_ ” Mircalla asked, taking a seat at the empty desk next to Laura.

The blonde jolted in her seat, startled by her sudden presence, and whipped her head around to face her. She opened her mouth to say something, but caught herself and looked around the room before turned back and meeting Mircalla’s eyes once more, asking the silent question of “what are you doing here?”.

“ _Practicing with LaF._ ”

She nodded, then turned to a blank page in her notebook and started writing. Her pencil scratched the paper for a few seconds before she stopped and turned it so Mircalla could read it.

**It’s going well, I see.**

“ _This was easy. The trick is making it back without fainting. In the couple weeks I’ve been practicing, this is the farthest I’ve gone so far. So we shall see how that goes._ ”

Laura put pencil to paper again.

**Going to stay here for a little while?**

“ _No, I just stopped by to say ‘hello’._ ”

**Good luck then. Don’t make me have to carry you in from the cold again.**

Mircalla leaned over and hovered her lips over Laura’s ear. “ _See you at home, Cutie._ ”

She then planted a soft kiss on Laura’s cheek, which she’d gotten in the habit of doing very quickly, and closed her eyes, thinking about LaF’s office at home. The rush of dizziness lasted a few seconds this time, but when she opened her eyes she was back where she had come from. Taking a seat on the sofa, she paused for a few moments, giving herself some time to regain some of the energy she spent, so she doesn’t pass out like before. But she did notice that she improved in some way or another each time she traveled. It didn’t take her as long as as much focused energy as it had the first time, and the time it takes her to restore her energy was getting shorter as well. After a minute or so, she stood and walked over the LaF and poked them in the shoulder, letting them know that she was back.

“Oh!” They jumped, putting their hand over their heart for a few moments. “Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting that. So since you’re back, I take it the traveling back and forth went well?”

Mircalla gathered more energy and knocked on the corner of the desk for ‘yes’.

LaF nodded then wrote some notes down. “Cool. We can talk more in depth later when Laura gets home to translate for us. Give you some time to rest in the meantime.”

She knocked on the desk once more as an “okay” and left the office. Perry was sitting at the kitchen table doing some homework, so she didn’t bother her. And Kirsch and Laura were still in class, so she trudged upstairs to Laura’s bedroom and took a seat by the window, looking out into the gloomy December afternoon.

**//**

Laura felt her face heat up as Mircalla disappeared next to her. Again, she looked around the room to make sure that no one had seen anything they deemed weird, and flipped her notebook back to the previous page to continue taking notes. Though her mind wasn’t willing to switch from Mircalla back to school so quickly. She could still feel where Mircalla had pecked her on the cheek, and she couldn’t help but long for that feeling on her lips. It had been driving her crazy lately, but there also hadn’t seemed to be that one perfect moment for that to happen naturally. Her friends were always around, and when they were laying in bed at night, it just didn’t feel right. Laura thought that maybe she was building the moment up in her head so much that nothing would feel perfect when it eventually happened. But was it wrong to want your first kiss with someone to be special? She didn’t think so. She also wondered if Mircalla was thinking about it as much as she was. Just then, the bell rang, causing her to jump. Had time really flown by that quickly. Looking up at the front of the class, her Professor turned off the projector with the notes on it, and Laura could kick herself. She should have been paying attention. Thankfully, Danny was the Lit TA, so she packed up her things quickly and went to catch up with her friend that had already left the room.

“Hey, Danny!” She called when she made it outside of the building, jogging up to her friend. “Can I borrow your notes from today?

The redhead frowned. “You zone out or something? You’re usually the one of most vigilant students I know when it comes to paying attention in class.”

But she took off her backpack and dug through its contents and pulled out the notes nonetheless, which Laura was thankful for.

“Yeah, uh, Mircalla stopped by. Her and LaF are still testing out some things, and she surprised me. But when she left I couldn’t focus, and next thing I knew the bell rang.”

Danny raised an eyebrow at that but didn’t question further. “Don’t stress yourself out too much. You’re doing great in class.”

Laura nodded. “I’ll try.”

Checking her watch, she gestured in the direction she’d been heading when Laura had caught up with her. “I have to go meet Elsie at the cafe. I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, see you.”

Stuffing Danny’s notebook into her backpack, she slung it  over her shoulder and right into someone else, causing objects to fall to the ground.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” She apologized, bending down to the ground to help pick up a pile of textbooks before they got too damp from the snow.

“It’s alright.”

That voice caused her to freeze. She knew it all too well...but it couldn’t be. Look up, she came face to face with Mircalla. But it wasn’t at the same time. The girl looked and sounded exactly like the ghost, but this girl was very much alive. When Laura did see ghosts without trying, she always knew the difference. The living were solid, tangible. But ghosts...they always looked like they didn’t quite belong. They weren’t as bright, and sometimes they even kind of had a faint blue mist around them. Even when Mircalla made herself solid, it wasn’t exactly like a living person. Each touch felt like something from a dream, not quite there. But this girl was here. Alive. The pink flush in her cheeks because of the cold only reinforced that.

“Thanks. I wasn’t really looking where I was going either.” The girl continued as if nothing was weird about this.

Laura snapped out of her confused daze long enough to reply. “No problem.”

“Well, I gotta go. It was nice running into you, Cutie.” She smirked, taking the books back, and continued on her merry way.

Laura watched her go, staring in disbelief. _What the what?_

**//**

“Whoa, Hollis.” LaFontaine said from the sofa. “This may sound weird, but you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Laura closed the front door behind her, shuffled over to LaF, and let her bag fall to the floor as her body fell onto the sofa. “Something like that.”

A few seconds passed before LaF closed their laptop and turned to face her.

“Okay, I’ll bite. What’s got you looking traumatized?”

“I...saw Mircalla.” She said simply, her brain trying to think of a better way to explain it.

“Well, yeah? She was testing if she could travel to you while being farther away than anything she’s attempted yet.”

Laura shook her head. “No, she was...alive.”

A few more moments when by before LaF snapped their fingers in front of Laura’s face to get to attention. “Okay, you’re gonna have to focus because you aren’t making much sense here.”

Laura leaned forward and ran her hands through her hair, willing her brain to cooperate.

“I was coming back after class. I stopped to borrow notes from Danny and I accidentally hit someone with my backpack. They dropped their stuff, and when I looked up, it was Mircalla. But...not. This girl was alive, but she looked like her twin. Modernized, but her twin nonetheless.”

LaF rubbed their chin with their fingers, thinking to themselves. “Hm. Well, they say everyone has a doppelganger. Maybe you found hers?”

Laura sighed. “I don’t know. Sure there’s people that look alike, but I’m telling you... _spitting image_.”

“Did you catch her name?”

“No. I all happened so fast. Oh! And she called me Cutie. That’s what Mircalla calls me sometimes. It’s just too weird.”

“That doesn’t really help then. But I have to admit, running into her doppelganger of all placed like a small Austrian university is such a coincidence that it can’t just be a coincidence.”

Laura rubbed her temples. “My head hurts thinking about this.”

“I’ll have to sleep on it. Come up with a theory when I’ve had time to think through the most probably scenarios, which is going to be a bit difficult since the paranormal is so unpredictable and strange.”

“And what do I do until then? Oh God, do I tell Mircalla? Should I wait? LaF, I don’t know what to do here?”

LaF scratched their head. “Okay, calm down.” They said, putting a hand on Laura’s shoulder for support. “I’d hold off on it for now. Wait until I have a theory that I’m confident in. Then we can tell her and present that theory. Possibly lessen the blow that she’s got a modern doppelganger running around campus.”

“Lovely. You know how horrible I am at keeping secrets.”

They squeezed Laura’s shoulder gently. “It’s not like it’s going to be a secret for forever. Just a couple days, max.”

Even that sounded like an eternity in Laura’s mind, but she nodded anyway. She knew that if she told Mircalla about this that there would be a million questions that she would be unable to answer. Maybe LaF would be able to come up with something plausible, they were smart like that. But in the meantime, she just hoped that she could carry the burden of this huge secret without acting weird.

**//**

Thankfully, Laura didn’t have to wait long. The next morning when she came down to breakfast, she found LaFontaine hunched over the table writing something. Papers were scattered all over the table, a few even on the floor. Their hair was messy, sticking out at all angles, and there were bags under their eyes. Had they stayed up all night?

“Oh good, you’re up!” They greeted her, looking less like a zombie now that they had a person to talk to. “So I’ve been thinking-”

“-All night?” Laura asked, interrupting.

LaFontaine continued as if she hadn’t said anything. “-You know how some hauntings are caused by residual energy imprinting into spaces or objects?”

Laura sat down at the table across from her friend, with slight apprehension. “Yeah?”

“What if Mircalla is some sort of residual energy of the person she was?”

“Okay, but residual energy doesn’t have a conscious. It’s just energy left behind that plays itself over and over again like a tape when the conditions are right. Mircalla has a conscious, memories, she can pretty much do what she wants.”

“Sure, residual energy as we understand it doesn’t have a conscious, but there’s so much we don’t know in the paranormal field. What if this is a possible thing, but it just happens much less frequently?”

Laura nodded. LaF did have a point.

“And what if Mircalla, as we know her, is just a _part_ of the energy that she was, and that part imprinted at the asylum where she died, but the rest of her moved on?”

Laura thought about that for a moment, putting the pieces of this complicated puzzle together in her head.

LaFontaine continued. “That would explain why she’s kinda different from any other ghost you’ve run into. You don’t have to try to be able to see her, you just do. It may also be why her energy seems to drain a lot faster when doing certain things, like traveling. From what you’ve told me before, when you’ve encountered recently deceased people they were able to disappear and reappear all the time without Mircalla’s symptoms of dizziness or lightheartedness to the point of passing out. She doesn’t have as much energy because her soul is not complete.

Well fuck.

“Maybe.” LaF rubbed their tired eyes. “It’s all just a theory, but it was the best I could come up with.”

“You should sleep. If my head hurts from two minutes of talking about this, I can only imagine what a full night of brainstorming feels like.”

“Yeah, Per wasn’t too happy I didn’t come to bed. We’ll find out if I’m in the dog house soon.” They said, gesturing upstairs where they could hear the shower turn on. “I’ll skip classes today to catch some sleep, but I have a hunch about the doppelganger situation, so I need to go to the library to see if I can confirm anything.”

Laura hung her head. “Sorry I dragged you into this, you shouldn’t be missing classes because of me.”

LaF frowned. “Are you kidding me, L? This is insanely interesting. Biology pales in comparison.”

She raised an eyebrow at that. “Maybe you should have studied to be a parapsychologist.” Laura joked.

“Well, there’s always time for that after my Biology degree.”

**//**

Mircalla flopped down onto the bed next to Laura as the girl copied her Lit notes, and nudged her arm with her nose, making the her smile. “ _I’m so glad winter break is coming. You need to give yourself a nice hiatus from schoolwork. While I admire your hard work, you have to admit that you’ve been pushing yourself a little too hard lately._ ”

Laura stopped writing and nodded. “I know. I just want to do the best I can. Graduation is only five months away, after all.”

“ _I know, but now that you haven’t been investigating on the weekends like you used to, you haven’t been giving yourself any_ you _time. I can tell that thinking about school every waking hour is just stressing you out even more. University is supposed to be an enjoyable experience as well, don’t forget that. I’m sure your dad would agree._ ”

Laura was looking forward to Christmas break and seeing her dad for the first time since August. But that also brought up the other predicament in Laura’s mind. She still hadn’t decided if she was going to ask Mircalla to join her or not, mostly because she never found a casual segway into it during casual conversations, but this was the perfect opportunity. Girl the hell up, Hollis!

“Speaking of winter break…” She started, nervously fidgeting the the pages of her notes, doing her best not to sound like a ball of anxiety. “Want to come home with me?” She paused only for a second before rambling like an idiot. “You could meet my dad, and I can show you my childhood room, and embarrassing pictures of me growing up, and decorate the tree. You know...fun stuff.”

Mircalla’s eyes twinkled and a soft smile made its way onto her face. “ _I think I’d like that very much._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left comments last chapter, it motivated me to write some more. I hope you continue to enjoy this story :)


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